Meet Boeing 747 family
The 747 first flew in 1969 and entered airline service in 1970. Its broad main deck transformed the scale of passenger flying, while the elevated cockpit also suited a freighter with a nose-loading door. Passenger and cargo developments remained important throughout the programme.
The flight deck changed dramatically between classic three-crew 747s and later two-pilot aircraft. The 747-8 also brought a further wing and engine development. This page brings those generations together without treating the systems of a classic 747-200 as those of a modern 747-8.
In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
747-8i (-8F)
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Edition / package Standard
Passenger and freighter equipment are documented together
Working Title's 747-8 guide covers the passenger and freighter configurations, hydraulic pump controls and yaw-damper setup. The modern two-pilot cockpit is a separate reference from the classic 747-200. The document also explains the aircraft's preparation and flight-management interfaces in the simulator.
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Boeing 747-8i & 8f Instructions and Reference ↗Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.17-19; systems preparation
747-400 Global Super Tanker
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Edition / package Premium Deluxe
The firefighting 747 has a separate guide
The Global SuperTanker guide documents autopilot engagement, disconnection and the separate warning-acknowledgement action. Its flight-management computer calculates take-off trim from loading. Those details belong to this specialist 747 configuration and its own source material.
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Boeing 747 Global Supertanker Instructions and Reference ↗document snapshot; exact installed package not observed · PDF pp6,22,32
747-400 LCF Dreamlifter
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Edition / package Premium Deluxe
The Dreamlifter differs behind the enlarged fuselage
The LCF guide states that the represented Dreamlifter has no auxiliary power unit. It also documents loading-based take-off trim and separate autopilot disconnect and warning-acknowledgement actions. The outsized cargo body is therefore not its only meaningful difference from a passenger 747.
Microsoft / aircraft developers · Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter Instructions and Reference ↗document snapshot; exact installed package not observed · PDF pp7,22,32
747-8 Intercontinental
Microsoft Flight Simulator
Edition / package Standard
Boeing 747-400 and 747-100
Laminar Research
Edition / package Desktop
The bundled 747 has separate documentation
Laminar's 747 guide describes the implemented cockpit and autopilot systems and identifies hydraulic-pump selections. It provides the source context for the bundled X-Plane aircraft, distinct from Felis's classic 747-200 and the MSFS 747-8 family.
Laminar Research · Boeing 747-400 POH ↗Archived simulator manual; installed package revision not observed · PDF pp.10,22,29
747-200 Classic
Felis
A classic three-crew 747 simulation
Felis's 747-200 documentation describes custom autopilot and autoland systems, a separate autothrottle and extensive aircraft systems. The classic cockpit's analogue instruments and navigation equipment provide a different experience from the later 747-8. Release notes also distinguish handling changes for X-Plane 11 and 12, which matters when matching a report to an installed version.
Felis / X-Plane.org store · 747-200 passenger product ↗747-200 Classic passenger; XP11 and XP12 listed · Systems; Requirements; Version history
Manuals & resources
Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Boeing 747-8i & 8f Instructions and ReferenceMicrosoft / aircraft developers Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developers Boeing 747 Global Supertanker Instructions and ReferenceMicrosoft / aircraft developers Boeing 747 LCF Dreamlifter Instructions and ReferenceMicrosoft / aircraft developers Boeing 747-400 POHLaminar Research X-Plane 11 Desktop ManualLaminar Research X-Plane aircraft and avionics manualsLaminar ResearchAircraft background
Boeing 747Wikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1373946440 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoft MSFS 2020 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoft 747-200 passenger productFelis / X-Plane.org storeSomething missing or a source that needs attention?
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