747 Super Tanker Released

[Tom Clayton]

https://forums.flightsimulator.com/t/hpg-747-supertanker-now-released/596830

Link to purchase and other details in the above official forum thread. From the purchase page info, this uses the default 747 and King Air planes as building blocks for their addons and both are required to be installed. The King Air has a smoke system added to serve as a spot/lead plane.

 

[tankerguy72]

What a great addon for those interested in aerial firefighting. I picked it up last night when I got home and was only able to do a couple test flights but definitely impressed so far. Nice visuals with smoke and flames and also fire crackling sounds when close to the flames. Here are a few screenshots from last night. I know what Ill be doing for the rest of the weekend.

 

[modelr]

Went to check on this and found sales suspended. Check here. HPG 747 SuperTanker Sales Suspended – Hype Performance Group

 

[DennyA]

I wonder what the heck happened. Haven't seen any threads about issues, etc on forums.

 

[Scorch00]

To me this sounds like they may have received a Cease and Desist Order in regards to something. My guess would be something from Asobo/Microsoft I'll bet in regards to modifying their 747 possibly or something I'll bet. Just a shot in the dark and guessing here, but if they are using their (Micorosft/Asoba's) commercial product and then reselling it modified, it's probably a licensing breach if they didn't get permission from them.

 

[ak416]

Or maybe Microsoft saw an opportunity to add another tanker to their FS2024 hangar?

 

[tankerguy72]

To me this sounds like they may have received a Cease and Desist Order in regards to something. My guess would be something from Asobo/Microsoft I'll bet in regards to modifying their 747 possibly or something I'll bet. Just a shot in the dark and guessing here, but if they are using their (Micorosft/Asoba's) commercial product and then reselling it modified, it's probably a licensing breach if they didn't get permission from them.

I was thinking the same with the C&D but maybe from Evergreen or Global using the "Supertanker" name or logos on the repaints that came with it.

 

[Tom Clayton]

If sales are suspended, I'll go ahead and unstick this one.

 

[Scorch00]

I was thinking the same with the C&D but maybe from Evergreen or Global using the "Supertanker" name or logos on the repaints that came with it.

Ahh yeah, that's a good point too. Could also be that trademark infringement. Are there even enough entities left of either company to orchestrate that now is the other thing I wonder. Still definitely possible I guess. Since we know other companies have done this sort of thing.

 

[azflyboy]

Ahh yeah, that's a good point too. Could also be that trademark infringement. Are there even enough entities left of either company to orchestrate that now is the other thing I wonder. Still definitely possible I guess. Since we know other companies have done this sort of thing.

When Evergreen imploded, they filed Ch7 bankruptcy, and Global acquired their physical assets and the intellectual property related to the supertanker.

Global shut down in 2021, but there's a website for the company claiming that the tanker is coming back in 2023, despite the fact that the airframe was sold to National in '21 or '22.

I'd assume the cease and desist came from whoever owns the Global/Evergreen assets now, since they're likely desperate for cash.

 

[Scorch00]

When Evergreen imploded, they filed Ch7 bankruptcy, and Global acquired their physical assets and the intellectual property related to the supertanker.

Global shut down in 2021, but there's a website for the company claiming that the tanker is coming back in 2023, despite the fact that the airframe was sold to National in '21 or '22.

I'd assume the cease and desist came from whoever owns the Global/Evergreen assets now, since they're likely desperate for cash.

That's the thing. I think it's more likely it's Microsoft/Asobo than whoever owns the tank system currently. From my understanding the tank system is sitting in some storage facility in here in Texas (San Antonio allegedly) where it was removed from T944 those years ago. Some company out of Nevada allegedly was looking to put it in a 747-200 again as a rumor, but that's all it's been, a rumor. The website apparently has been discussed as a faux last ditch effort to garner interest in the platform, the company dissolved and their social media was all shut down. Their PR team was good, but the platform had a lot of flaws that they weren't able to overcome. Could it be a trademark C&D maybe, but personally still think it's a Microsoft/Asobo deal since it's a modified version of their commercial product(s) i.e. the 747-800 that are being resold. The only way around that is to provide their own physical model or officially get permission/pay for commercial licensing of it from them. The article I saw recently said, they will announce the reason shortly.

But regardless, it definitely sounds like a legal issue to me. I've had to sign NDAs and sign legal documents for doing modifications to payware aircraft for FSX/P3D that the modifications could only be released as freeware to current owners of the platform and could not charge money for any part of the modifications, so I know all too well what that would entail if that's what they did. I don't like saying it, but it sounds like they (Hype) stumbled into that on complete accident. This touches the subject as to why illegal conversions into MSFS was so heavily leaned on them stopping by freeware developers. Now (possibly) Asobo/Microsoft seeing their aircraft being done to in a similar light now they probably jumped on Hype unfortunately. I'm not trying to bad mouth Hype either, it just sounds like a mistake to me if so. Again, just a theory. We'll know soon.