It’s been a little while (5 months), but Microsoft hosted another Developer Stream several days ago. The Developer Stream was filled with announcements, such as a release date for the previously announced National Championship Air Races, Sim Update 7 information, Aircraft & Avionics Update 6 information and the announcement of a brand new World Update, among other things
National Championship Air Races
Diving right in with the first topic, Microsoft announced that a release date has been set for the upcoming National Championship Air Races expansion. The new course in Roswell, New Mexico has been recreated in the simulator. There will also be 44 aircraft receiving an update and returning in this new activity, with players now needing to keep a watchful eye on their engine, wake turbulence and wear & tear while racing around the circuit. Microsoft has planned scheduled releases for sometime in 2027, but until then you are able to host your own private races with friends.
The National Championship Air Races will release alongside Sim Update 7 on October 13th, and is available for free. There will be an optional package of $40 that adds real-world NCAR aircraft liveries. Customers of the Reno Air Races DLC in MSFS 2020 will receive this package for free.
Sim Update 7
As mentioned above, Sim Update 7 is scheduled for release on October 13th. It will feature the National Championship Air Races, but will also include overall stability and performance improvements to the simulator. The update also features Marketplace features and improvements, although these might not release with Sim Update 7 right away. Career mode bug fixes and improvements are also included in SU7.
Aircraft & Avionics Update 6
Microsoft is planning on releasing AAU 6 on September 29th. It will bring the following aircraft up to native MSFS 2024 standard:
- Dornier DO J “WAL”
- Dornier DO X
- Dornier DO 31
- Junkers F13
- Junkers JU52
Microsoft is also planning more Aircraft & Avionics updates to improve other Local Legends and Famous Flyers, but has not made any specific announcements, saying these will come in future releases.
World Update 23: Poland and The Baltics
Microsoft is finally bringing the second most requested region to us in a new World Update. The update will bring high resolution photogrammetry to several cities in this region, such as Tallinn (Estonia), Riga (Latvia), Kaunas and Vilnius (Lithuania) and Gdanks and Warsaw (Poland). Alongside this World Update we can expect new areas of interest, new hand-crafted airports, new points of interest, discovery flights, landing challenges and more.
Local Legend 26: Antonov AN-28
Local Legend 26 will be released alongside World Update 23, and will be developed by AT Simulations.
Expert Series 3: Embraer 600 Praetor
Last but not least, Microsoft talked about Expert Series 3: Embraer 600 Praetor. Developed by Working Title Simulations and Asobo, this aircraft is scheduled for release on November 24. Asobo has worked together with Boris Audio Works for the sound design of this aircraft. It will feature accessible panels, such as a hydraulics service panel, fuelling panel, RAT panel and more. The cabin will feature controllable lighting and other animations, and a complete avionics suite, with electronic checklists, on-screen charts, a HUD, flight planning capabilities and more.
