One of the bigger moments for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has just happened with the release of another significant update for the sim overall and the introduction of the National Championship Air Races. Here’s what you need to know about the latest sim release!

Sim Update 7 arrives with a lengthy list of fixes

Sim Update 7 (1.9.18.0) is now available for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and will update the next time you load it up. The update includes a lengthy list of fixes ranging from general updates, stability & performance, and aircraft and avionics specific fixes. Some aircraft with some notable changes include the Airbus Helicopters H225 (a helicopter that was semi-abandoned for a time before seeing updates), the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Fokker F27 Friendship, Piper M600, Pipistrel Taurus M and even the Saab 340B (from Carenado) got quite a few fixes.

It was announced that Microsoft would be partnering with Lufthansa to bring liveries from that airline to the sim and so now the A310-300, A320neo, and A330-300 all now have a Lufthansa livery officially in the sim.

Gaya, a third party that does a lot of the scenery work for Microsoft, has a huge list of fixes across World Updates and other scenery add-ons with reduced package sizes, upgrades to level of detail (LOD) on objects, and various other fixes – most of this looks to be aimed at improved performance and efficiency.

There’s a huge list so do check it out here!

National Championship Air Races

Microsoft have learned their lesson with the previous Reno Air Races add-on and have decided to open up the air racing experience to the entire community with a free entry point into the series. This means that if you own MSFS 2024, you can sign in today and start racing!

There are several classes including Unlimited Class, Jet Class, T-6 Class, Biplane Class and STOL (Short Take-Off and Landing) Drag Competition.

MSFS 2024 already has all of the airplanes that you need to take part in the racing experience, however, you can add to the collection with additional aircraft. There’s a 40 aircraft pack, available for $39.99 USD, which adds famous aircraft from the real world racing circuit. Or you can also purchase aircraft individually or in packs of 10. While some of these appear to be mostly cosmetic, there are some unique visuals like the cut down profile of “Strega” and “Voodoo” which are part of the P-51 Mustang group (under Unlimited).

Read more about the racing experience here.