Microsoft Flight Simulator has added the National Championship Air Races through Sim Update 7, bringing race venues and events into the simulator as a free expansion. Alongside it, the separately priced National Championship Air Races – Racer Pack 1 adds 40 racing aircraft. The important distinction is between the racing expansion itself and the paid aircraft pack.
The free expansion includes both Reno and Roswell, with four pylon-racing categories and a STOL drag event. Players can use Time Trials Mode, organize multiplayer races or join established multiplayer races. That gives the update two clear routes into competition: time trials and multiplayer racing, with the latter supporting both organizing a race and joining one already established.
Racer Pack 1 costs $39.99 USD and divides its 40 aircraft evenly across four categories: Unlimited, Jet, T-6 and Biplane, with 10 aircraft in each. It is available through the Microsoft Flight Simulator in-sim Marketplace, the Microsoft/Xbox store and Steam. For anyone weighing the purchase, that category-by-category breakdown is more useful than the headline aircraft count alone: the pack spreads its additions evenly rather than concentrating them in one category.
The interesting detail beyond the event list is how the race locations were reconstructed. According to the Microsoft Flight Simulator team, the Reno and Roswell racetracks were recreated using thousands of reference photos and measurements.
The team also says aircraft cockpits and other elements were 3D scanned. Those methods point to an emphasis on reference-based recreation, pairing the new competition formats with measured tracks and scanned aircraft details.
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