From The Desktop to the Flight Deck: The Rise of AKD Studio

A Pandemic Passion Project

The story of AKD Studio is uniquely modern. In 2020, while most of the world was slowing down, a 15-year-old in Poland was just getting started. Bored by the transition to online high school learning, Antoni decided to turn his curiosity for aviation—sparked by a 2018 family vacation and the Polish pilot YouTuber "Turbulencja"—into something tangible.

Using YouTube tutorials (specifically the series by ghansen) and an obsessive work ethic, Antoni spent two years learning the "dark arts" of aircraft development. He wasn't backed by a corporate team; he was inspired by the solo-work of industry legends like Felis (developer of the 747-200). "When I saw his 747 for the first time," Antoni recalls, "I realized it’s possible to make such an amazing plane on your own." After two years of intensive labor, he released his first aircraft on October 28, 2022.

High-Fidelity over "Study-Level"

While Antoni remains humble about his work—often noting that he isn't trying to build an ultra-complex "study-level" aircraft like those from Hot Start—the results speak for themselves. The AKD GFL550 and GLF650 are high-fidelity machines that tackle the immense challenges of custom-coded VNAV and MCDU logic—the very systems that often separate the serious addons from the "shovelware."

To achieve this level of accuracy, Antoni coordinates directly with real-world pilots who have access to the airframes, spending months reading technical manuals and refining his scripts based on their feedback. The road wasn't without nerves; he famously hesitated to send his plane to legendary reviewer Q8Pilot, fearing he might "embarrass himself." The nerves were put to rest when Q8Pilot bought the plane himself, reviewed it, and became a source of constructive feedback that helped Antoni refine the aircraft into the professional-grade tool it is today.

The Person Behind the Code

When he isn't staring at thousands of lines of code, Antoni is a true traveler. Whether it's exploring Poland's rail network—once traveling over 2,000 km by train in just three days with friends—or diving into the technical aspects of video production for film and television, his eye for detail is constant. Since finishing high school this past May, AKD Studio has become his full-time job, allowing him to focus entirely on the "science of flight" within X-Plane.

But the most compelling part of the AKD story is the "Simmer-to-Pilot" pipeline. Having developed these complex machines through his teens, Antoni is now actively pursuing his real-world flight training with an eye on a 2025 PPL (Private Pilot License). He isn't just a developer making a product; he is a future airline pilot building the cockpit he plans to command.

It Matters for FSS

At Flight Sim Support, we value the people behind the software or hardware. AKD Studio serves as a powerful reminder that the most exciting innovations in X-Plane often come from independent developers who are as passionate about the "stick-and-rudder" feel as they are about the code.

As Antoni continues to push the boundaries of executive transport, he proves that you don't need a massive office to build a masterpiece. You just need a passion for flight, a bit of grit, and the dedication to keep updating until the virtual cockpit feels exactly like the real thing.

Check out the full AKD Studio profile and fleet compatibility in our directory: AKD Studio

Source Note: Biographical details and interview quotes in this artical were sourced from the X-Plane.org Developer Spotlight on Antoni Rybka, conducted by Dominic Smith.