Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 shipped Sim Update 7 on October 13, 2026, adding the National Championship Air Races as a free expansion. The update brings the Reno and Roswell, New Mexico venues, four pylon categories, five race classes, and a paid Racer Pack 1 priced at $39.99 USD with 40 aircraft.
The Microsoft Flight Simulator team worked with the Reno Air Racing Association and dozens of pilots on the release. The team detailed the update in its October 13 announcement, describing the National Championship Air Races as the crown jewel of closed-course pylon racing and the fastest motorsport in history.
The air races follow other free Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 content drops, including the City Update 15 scenery refresh that improved Illinois, Minnesota, and Wisconsin earlier this year.
What the Free Expansion Includes
Sim Update 7 is available across Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, PC, PlayStation 5, PS VR2, Steam, and Xbox Cloud Gaming. The free expansion adds the NCAR venues in Reno and Roswell, New Mexico, with four pylon categories and five race classes. Racing takes place at altitudes from 50 feet to 250 feet above ground, and speeds often exceed 500 miles per hour.
The add-on includes thousands of reference photos and measurements, near-perfect replicas of the Reno and Roswell courses, and cockpits and racing aircraft that were 3D-scanned.
The Five Race Classes
The expansion includes five race classes, each with specific rules and representative aircraft.
| Class | Rule | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited | Piston engine and propeller only | Heavily modified legends such as the North American P-51 Mustang |
| Jet | Non-afterburning, non-swept-wing jets | Military trainers such as the Aero L-39 Albatros |
| T-6 | North American T-6 Texan trainer and its direct production variants only | The T-6 Texan family |
| Biplane | Small biplanes | Aviat Pitts Special S-1S and S-2S |
| STOL Drag | 2,000-foot course, two pilots head-to-head | High-performance STOL aircraft that leap into the air and stop on a dime |
For STOL Drag, two pilots fly against each other, take off, land, turn around, take off again, and land again within strict location and time parameters on a 2,000-foot course.
Racer Pack 1 and Its Aircraft
Racer Pack 1 is available for $39.99 USD in the in-sim Marketplace, the Microsoft/Xbox store, and Steam. It includes 40 racing aircraft, 10 per category across Unlimited, Jet, T-6, and Biplane. Pilots can buy all 40 individually or as class packs of 10.
Notable aircraft in the pack include:
- P-51D Mustang ‘Strega’, an 11-time National Championship Air Races winner
- P-51D Mustang ‘Voodoo’, the world’s fastest piston-powered aircraft with a 554.69 mph record
- P-51D Mustang ‘Bunny’, carrying markings of Tuskegee Airman Lt. Col. Robert ‘Bob’ Friend
- L-39C Albatros ‘American Spirit’, the first jet racer acquired by the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum
- L-39C Albatros ‘Drop Bear’, a 2018 first-place winner
- L-39C Albatros ‘Pipsqueak’
- T-6 ‘Big Red’, once flown by General Jimmy Doolittle
- T-6 ‘Baron’s Revenge’ and ‘Six-Cat’, multi-time T-6 Gold champions
- Pitts S-1S ‘Miss Diane’, ‘Yellow Bomber’, and ‘Blackhawk’
How the Racing Flies
Time Trials Mode provides solo runs, while pilots can organize their own multiplayer races or join established multiplayer races. Simulated wear-and-tear means engines degrade based on pilot input, so pilots must fly tactically and adjust throttle for maximum speed without damaging engine components.
The realism foundation includes near-perfect replicas, 3D-scanned cockpits and racing aircraft, and course measurements taken from the Reno and Roswell locations.
