Air Racing Comes to MSFS 2024: Reno, Roswell and Five Race Classes

Table of Contents

• At a Glance
• What Is the Air Races Expansion?
• Race Classes and Airplanes
• How to Win an Air Race in the Sim
• The Best Controls for Air Racing
• Official Gear From the Real Races
• Who Should Skip It
• Frequently Asked Questions

At a Glance

• What: The National Championship Air Races expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
• When: Released October 13, 2026
• Cost: Free with Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024
• Platforms: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 (including PS VR2) and cloud
• Courses: The classic Reno course and the new Roswell, New Mexico course
• Classes: Unlimited (P-51 Mustang), T-6 (Texan), Biplane (Pitts S1S), Jet (L-39) and STOL drag

Game details come from Microsoft Flight Simulator and the Reno Air Racing Association as of October 2026. The racing tips below are a pilot's judgment, not official guidance.

What Is the National Championship Air Races Expansion for MSFS 2024?

It is a free addition to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, released October 13, 2026, that brings the National Championship Air Races into the sim on the classic Reno course and the new Roswell, New Mexico course.

Microsoft built it with the Reno Air Racing Association, the organization that runs the real races, and with dozens of race pilots and aircraft owners. It is part of the base Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 experience, so there is no add-on to buy.

The two courses tell the story of the sport. Bill Stead started the races in 1964, they ran at Reno Stead Airport from 1966 through 2023, and in 2025 they moved to Roswell, New Mexico. Fans at the 2026 races in Roswell, where Pilot Mall ran the official merchandise tents, could fly the expansion at a Microsoft Flight Simulator exhibit before it launched.

Which Race Classes and Airplanes Can You Fly?

Five: the P-51 Mustang in the Unlimited Class, the North American T-6 Texan, the Aviat Pitts Special S1S in the Biplane Class, the Aero Vodochody L-39 in the Jet Class, and a one-on-one STOL drag race.

Each one mirrors a real class at the National Championship Air Races, where a single heat puts up to eight airplanes on the course at once, 50 to 250 feet off the ground. Here is how the sim lines up with the real thing:

• Unlimited (P-51 Mustang): Stock or modified World War II fighters such as P-51 Mustangs, F8F Bearcats and Hawker Sea Furies, at more than 500 mph.
• T-6 (North American T-6 Texan): Stock T-6 Texans, Harvards and SNJs, all the same type, so strategy and skill decide it at about 220 to 230 mph.
• Biplane (Aviat Pitts Special S1S): Small aerobatic biplanes such as the Pitts Special, the Mong and the Smith Miniplane.
• Jet (Aero Vodochody L-39): Former military jet trainers led by the L-39 Albatros, racing since 2002 at more than 400 mph.
• STOL drag (one-on-one): Two airplanes race head to head up and down the ramp instead of around pylons.

The real races fly two more classes that the sim leaves out. The Sport Class is high-performance kit-built airplanes at nearly 350 mph, and every Formula One racer runs the same 100-horsepower Continental O-200, the engine in a Cessna 150, yet the fastest top 250 mph.

How Do You Win an Air Race in MSFS 2024?

Fly a tight, smooth line around the pylons and treat the engine gently, because the expansion models wear and tear, engine stress and wake turbulence.

That is what separates this from an arcade racer: as the Reno Air Racing Association puts it, you manage manifold pressure and engine temperature instead of running at full power the whole way. A few habits from real flying carry straight over:

• Learn the course alone first. The expansion includes offline time trials as well as online multiplayer races. Run time trials until you know where every pylon sits before you race other people.
• Turn smooth, not hard. A steady, constant-radius turn holds your speed. A hard pull bleeds energy that you then have to buy back with power you are trying to save.
• Watch the gauges on the straights. Real race pilots nurse their engines, and the sim now rewards the same discipline. Leading lap one means nothing if the engine cannot finish.
• Mind the wake. With wake turbulence modeled, tucking in right behind the airplane ahead can knock you off your line, so give yourself room when you pass.
• Use your feet in the piston airplanes. A Mustang at high power swings with propeller torque, most of all on takeoff, so rudder matters far more than it does in an airliner.

New to racing? Start in the T-6. It was built as a trainer, and in my judgment it is the most forgiving way to learn the courses before you step up to the Mustang's power or the Pitts's quick roll.

What Controls Work Best for Air Racing?

A stick with its own throttle, plus rudder pedals, because the P-51, T-6, Pitts and L-39 all fly with a stick in real life and rudder matters in the turns and on takeoff.

A yoke will work, but a stick and throttle (often sold together as a HOTAS) puts your hands where a race pilot's are, and rudder pedals pay off most in the piston classes. On a console, check that a controller is made for your system before you buy, because PlayStation 5 support is limited to specific models.

Pilot Mall groups console gear in the PlayStation flight sim and Xbox flight sim collections, and the full range is in our flight simulation collection. For PC setups, our guide to the best flight simulator yokes, pedals and controls compares the options.

Official Gear From the Real Races

Pilot Mall is the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races, and everything below was made for the 2026 races in Roswell. Two of the shirts match classes you can fly in the sim.

Unlimited Class Shirt

The shirt for Mustang pilots, real or simulated. The full-color back print puts Miss America, Bardahl Special and Plum Crazy banking hard through a cyan sky, with UNLIMITED CLASS across the bottom and a small pylon logo on the left chest. It is a soft cotton blend tee in Heather Grey or Royal, unisex S through 3XL.

Click for Price: Unlimited Class Roswell Air Races T-Shirt

Jet Class Shirt

For anyone who flies the Jet Class. Three jet racers, race numbers 8, 11 and 84, stack nose to tail and pull away from a checkered flag, with JET CLASS and HIGH SPEED JET RACING across the bottom. Soft cotton blend in Black or Heather Denim, unisex S through 3XL.

Click for Price: Jet Class Roswell Air Races T-Shirt

Pylon Pass Shirt

If you would rather wear the course than a class, this one puts race planes pulling Gs between two pylons, with smoke trails and "The World's Fastest Motorsport" across the back. Coal or Turquoise.

Click for Price: Pylon Pass Roswell Air Races T-Shirt

2026 Official Program

The best way to meet the real pilots and airplanes behind the sim. The official souvenir program covers the race classes, with profiles of the aircraft and the pilots who fly them, in a large landscape format (10.875 by 8.375 inches) that gives an airplane room on the page.

Click for Price: National Championship Air Races 2026 Official Program

Race Logo Trucker Cap

The official race logo, a red and white checkered pylon with two racing aircraft beside NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AIR RACES over ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, embroidered on Richardson's seamless five-panel 112FP trucker in Blue Teal, Birch and Navy.

Click for Price: Roswell Air Races Richardson 112FP Five Panel Trucker Hat

Translucent 3D Challenge Coin

A 2026 keepsake with a translucent 3D build that changes as the light moves. It belongs on the desk next to the sim rig.

Click for Price: 2026 Roswell Air Races Translucent 3D Challenge Coin

Elrod Mascot Plush

For the youngest racer in the house: Elrod, the alien mascot of the Roswell races, stands 12 inches tall in a leatherette flight cap with goggles, a faux-shearling aviator jacket and a red scarf.

Click for Price: Roswell Air Races Elrod Mascot Plush

More From the Roswell Races

A few of the pieces race fans have been buying most online since the 2026 races:

• 2026 Official Poster T-Shirt: the 2026 race poster across the back and a small race logo on the front, in Navy, Sand or Silver.
• Alien Airspace T-Shirt: a UFO beaming down over the pylon and the race planes, in Heather Kelly or Heather Denim.
• ROW Race Course T-Shirt: the Roswell race course mapped across the back, in Black.
• American Racing Classics T-Shirt: a vintage-style racing print with a Mustang, in Heather Mellow Yellow or Natural.
• 2026 Race Patch: the round 2026 patch with the checkered pylon and a jet formation.
• Retro Motel Keychain: an old-school motel key tag with "Fly Low. Fly Fast. Turn Left." on the back.
• High Desert Sunburst Magnet: the sunburst race logo for the fridge or the toolbox.
• 2026 Koozie Can Cooler: a black can cooler with the race logo and "The World's Fastest Motorsport."

Everything else from the races is in our Roswell Air Races collection.

Who Should Skip the Air Races Expansion?

• Simmers who have not moved to Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. The expansion is part of the 2024 sim. If you are still building a setup, start with our flight simulator setup guide.
• Pilots who use the sim only for instrument practice. Pylon racing will not sharpen your approaches. Put the time into procedures and a yoke and throttle setup from our controls guide instead.
• Anyone who wants the noise and the heat of the real thing. No sim replaces standing at the fence when the Unlimiteds come around. Read our Roswell Air Races spectator guide and plan a trip.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the National Championship Air Races expansion free?

Yes. Microsoft includes the National Championship Air Races expansion free as part of the base Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 experience, so anyone who owns the 2024 sim can race without buying an add-on. You do need the 2024 sim itself. The expansion was released on October 13, 2026, with the Reno and Roswell courses and five race classes.

Can you play the air races on PS5 or Xbox?

Yes. The expansion is available everywhere Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 runs: PC, Xbox Series X and S, PlayStation 5 including PS VR2, and cloud play. Controller support varies by console, and PlayStation 5 works only with specific flight sticks and yokes, so confirm that a controller lists your console before you buy it. A standard game controller will get you racing on day one.

Is the Reno course still in the sim now that the races moved to Roswell?

Yes. The expansion includes the classic Reno course alongside the new Roswell, New Mexico course. The National Championship Air Races began in 1964, ran at Reno Stead Airport from 1966 through 2023, and moved to Roswell for 2025. The real races now run in Roswell, and the sim lets you race at both homes of the sport.

Can you race other people online?

Yes. The expansion includes online multiplayer racing as well as offline time trials. Start with the time trials: learn each course, the pylon spacing and how hard your engine can be pushed before you share the sky with other racers. Wake turbulence and engine stress are both modeled, so a crowded first turn punishes mistakes that a solo lap would forgive.

Which race airplane should a beginner fly first?

The T-6 Texan. It was built as a trainer, the real T-6 class races stock airplanes of a single type at roughly 220 to 230 mph, and it is far more forgiving than the power and torque of the P-51 or the quick roll of the Pitts Special. Once you can hold a clean line around the pylons in the T-6, step up to the Mustang or the L-39 jet.

Is Pilot Mall the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races?

Yes. Pilot Mall is the official merchandise outlet of the National Championship Air Races and ran the official merchandise tents at the 2026 races in Roswell, New Mexico. The official shirts, caps, challenge coins and the 2026 program are available at PilotMall.com, including the Unlimited Class and Jet Class shirts that match two of the classes in the sim.

Fire up the sim, learn the courses, and when you are ready to wear the real thing, the full lineup is in our Roswell Air Races collection.