Microsoft Flight Simulator Free 40th Anniversary Edition Released; Airbus A310 Gets Tutorials Aplenty; Detroit Airports Announced

Today Microsoft released the 40th Anniversary Edition of Microsoft Flight Simulator alongside Sim Update 11, but third-party developers weren’t idle.

The 40th Anniversary edition is entirely free for everyone who purchased the simulator (or is enjoying it via Game Pass) and it comes with a ton of content including gliders, helicopters, several planes, and airports.

You can find a list of the new content below and find the full patch notes on the official forums.

• 7 classic aircraft:
  • 1903 Wright Flyer
  • 1915 Curtiss JN-4 Jenny
  • 1927 Ryan NYP Spirit of St. Louis
  • 1935 Douglas DC-3
  • 1937 Grumman G-21 Goose
  • 1947 Havilland DHC-2 Beaver
  • 1947 Hughes H-4 Hercules
• 2 helicopters:
  • Guimbal Cabri G2
  • Bell 407
• 2 sailplanes/gliders:
  • DG Aviation LS8-18
  • DG-1001E neo
• 1 true-to-life airliner:
  • Airbus A310-300
• 4 iconic airports:
  • Hong Kong Kai Tak
  • Meigs Field in Chicago
  • Princess Juliana International in Sint Maarten
  • First Flight Airport, Kitty Hawk
• 24 classic activities from previous Flight Simulator titles:
  1. First Flight at Kitty Hawk
  2. San Juan Island Run
  3. 1st US Airmail Route, 1918
  4. Aleutian Cargo Run
  5. Grand Canyon Scenic Tour
  6. Transcontinental Speed Record
  7. The Hell Stretch, 1918
  8. Charles Lindbergh, New York to Paris
  9. Hawai’ian Vacation
  10. Flying blind across the channel
  11. Meigs Field
  12. Spruce Goose
  13. Rome-Naples Airline Run
  14. Sitka Approach
  15. Monsoon
  16. Caribbean Landing
  17. Hong Kong at Dusk
  18. Waimea Canyon
  19. Mount Rushmore
  20. Miami by Moonlight
  21. San Francisco Sunset
  22. Mendenhall Glacier Tour
  23. 1950: Frontier Airlines
  24. Alaskan Floatplane Pilot
• 7 new tutorial missions for Gliders:
  • Aerotow
  • Winch Launch Training
  • Winch Launch Training, Advanced
  • Basic Handling
  • Slipping Approach and Landing
  • Thermal Identification
  • Ridge Soaring
• 14 heliports
• 15 glider airports

One of the biggest new pieces of content included in the 40th Anniversary Edition is the Aurbus A310.

This is the first high-definition airliner ever released as a default aircraft in a flight simulator. Considering its complexity, Microsoft and its developer, iniBuilds, released a series of tutorial videos that you can watch below alongside a couple of trailers.

If this is your first experience with this kind of high-definition airliner, you’re in from a whole new world of flight simulation.

The next piece of news comes from Orbx, which announced it will release Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (KDTW) in Michigan, United States.

As one of the largest and busiest international airports in the United States, this is certainly a major addition to the simulator.

On top of that, the developer is also planning to follow up with Coleman A. Young International Airport (KDET) and a Detroit City Pack.

Next, UK2000 Scenery released Telluride Regional Airport (KTEX) in Colorado, United States.

You can find it at the developer’s own store and Simmarket for $9.94 plus applicable VAT.

You can read its features and watch a trailer below.

• Full detail Buildings
• Realistic Ground Markings
• Hi Res ground image
• Stunning Night Effects
• High details Airport Vehicles
• Excellent Frame Rates
• Full set of signs
• Fencing
• Vegatation
• PBR Materials
• Internal details
• Internal Static aircraft (optional)

Microsoft Flight Simulator is currently available for PC (Windows 10 and Steam), and Xbox Series X|S. If you want to read more about it, you can check out our review.