- Primary Subject: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, Sim Update 7 (National Championship Air Races)
- Key Update: A free expansion adds Reno and Roswell air race courses, five race classes, and multiplayer racing, and 40 race aircraft are sold separately in Racer Pack 1.
- Status: Confirmed
- Last Verified: October 14, 2026
- Quick Answer: The National Championship Air Races expansion is free in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s Sim Update 7. Racer Pack 1 adds 40 race aircraft for $39.99.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 has a racing mode now.
The National Championship Air Races arrived on October 13 as part of Sim Update 7, a free expansion that brings race courses at Reno and Roswell and five competition classes into the sim, along with organized multiplayer racing.
Microsoft is billing it as "The World's Fastest Motorsport," and the 40 marquee race planes are sold separately in a paid add-on called Racer Pack 1.
Pylon racers fly a low circuit marked out by tall pylons, roughly 50 to 250 feet above the ground. The expansion recreates that format across four classes and adds a fifth event, STOL Drag, that trades the circuit for a short strip and a head-to-head start.
Reno and Roswell Both Get Race Courses
Both venues ship in the free expansion, and the Microsoft Flight Simulator team says the courses were rebuilt from reference photos and measurements. The pairing follows the real event's recent history.
The National Championship Air Races were held at Reno-Stead Airport in Nevada until development and urban growth around the airfield pushed organizers out.
The event moved to Roswell Air Center in New Mexico, where it ran for the first time in 2025. That makes the sim's Reno course a layout the real championship no longer flies.
The final race at Reno-Stead was held in 2023. Roswell gives players the event's current home, and the two venues sit side by side in the same expansion.
Four Pylon Classes Cover Everything From Mustangs to Biplanes
Unlimited is the headline class, open to piston-engine, propeller-driven aircraft. In practice, that means heavily modified P-51 Mustangs.
The Jet class is restricted to non-afterburning jets without swept wings, and the Aero L-39 Albatros is the typical entry.
T-6 is a one-type class built around the North American T-6 Texan and its direct production variants. Biplane racing covers small aircraft such as the Aviat Pitts Special S-1S and S-2S.
According to the announcement, the cockpits of the race aircraft were 3D scanned.
STOL Drag Puts Two Pilots on a 2,000-Foot Course
STOL Drag is the one event in the expansion that has nothing to do with pylons. Two pilots race head-to-head on a 2,000-foot course.
Each has to take off, land, turn around, then take off and land a second time, staying within set location and time limits throughout.
Where the pylon classes are about carrying speed through turns at low altitude, STOL Drag tests how quickly a pilot can get an aircraft onto the ground and back into the air.
Racer Pack 1 has no STOL Drag class, so the event sits entirely outside the paid pack's lineup.
Racer Pack 1 Sells 40 Named Race Planes for $39.99
The paid side of the update is Racer Pack 1, which adds 40 real racing aircraft, with 10 aircraft for each pylon class. The full pack costs $39.99 USD.
Each aircraft can also be bought individually or as part of a 10-aircraft class pack through the in-sim Marketplace. The pack covers aircraft only, while the venues, modes, and STOL Drag event are part of the free expansion.
The Unlimited lineup includes Strega, Goldfinger, Miss America, and Voodoo, a P-51D that Microsoft describes as the world's fastest piston-powered aircraft with a record of 554.69 mph.
Among the jets, alongside Athena and Pipsqueak, is the L-39C American Spirit, which the announcement notes was the first dedicated jet racer acquired by the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.
Big Red and Gunslinger fly in the T-6 class, while The Yellow Bomber is one of the ten biplanes.
Optional Engine Wear Makes Throttle Management Part of the Race
An optional realism setting simulates wear and tear, with engines degrading based on pilot input. Microsoft's own description puts it plainly: "racing contenders can't just fly wide-open throughout the race due to the damage that will occur."
With the setting on, holding full power for an entire race wears the engine down, so pilots have to pace it across the distance. Players who want a pure speed contest can leave it off.
Time Trials and Multiplayer Races Cover Solo and Group Play
Solo pilots get Time Trials, which pit them against the clock rather than other pilots. For multiplayer, players can host their own races or join races that others have already set up.
The Development Team Is Heading to the 2027 Races
The Microsoft Flight Simulator team says members of the development team will attend the 2027 National Championship Air Races. The announcement does not mention a second racer pack or additional venues.
The National Championship Air Races expansion is available now as part of Sim Update 7 for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, with Racer Pack 1 sold separately.
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