Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s Air Racing Mode Will Arrive as a Free Update on October 13
The mode was demoed at the National Championship Air Races in Roswell, while Sim Update 7 Beta received builds 1.9.12.0 and 1.9.13.0.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 will receive its air racing mode as a free update on October 13. The date was confirmed in the Microsoft Flight Simulator Team’s September 24 weekly briefing, which also recapped an early public demonstration at the National Championship Air Races in Roswell, New Mexico. Sim Update 7 testing had already begun, with version 1.9.10.0 reaching enrolled players on September 11.
Thousands of aviation fans attended the event, where visitors could try the upcoming activity with force feedback peripherals and simulated cockpit hardware. Three real T-6 race pilots, Chris LeFave, Vic McMann, and Greg McNeely, also competed against one crew chief in the simulator. The team has now encouraged players to practice ahead of the October release and see how they fare on the leaderboards.
Sim Update 7 Beta has 2 new builds
The optional Sim Update 7 Beta received build 1.9.12.0 on September 18 and build 1.9.13.0 on September 24. Microsoft thanked participating simmers for their feedback and bug reports, while continuing to ask testers to vote in the beta surveys.
Players can participate through the supported beta enrollment options for PC via Microsoft Store or Steam, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5. The briefing also points testers toward the release notes for both builds, although it does not summarize their individual changes.
The anniversary flight returns on September 25
Community Fly-In Friday will return after a one-week break on September 25 with the next stage of the sixth-anniversary circumnavigation. The route will cross the Bering Sea from UHPP in Kamchatka to PANC in Alaska, taking the anniversary flight from Asia to North America.
The broadcast will also include a Turtle Beach hardware giveaway. Regular community events remain available through the Microsoft Flight Simulator forums, while FSimUK 2026 is scheduled to take place in Bristol next month with flight simulation developers and the preserved Concorde as part of the event.
Will the October 13 air racing update become your next regular activity in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024? Share which aircraft you would take to the starting line, and follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
