Microsoft Flight Simulator Adding Historical Aircrafts for 40th Anniversary

Microsoft Flight Simulator has been going strong since 1982, long before Microsoft evolved into a powerhouse in gaming with the Xbox brand. Next to most franchises, Microsoft Flight Simulator has quite a long history, so it’s appropriate that the new entry’s upcoming 40th Anniversary Edition update will be filled with many notable aircraft from across the entire history of manned flight.

Fans who have been looking forward to the new update now have a release date, as Microsoft has revealed that the free Anniversary Edition patch will be out on November 11. The update will introduce many of the new features Microsoft and developer Asobo Studio have been teasing for a year. Among these are the addition of helicopters and gliders to Microsoft Flight Simulator, which will give players completely new ways to play the game.

For the aviation history buffs out there, however, the most exciting addition may very well be the inclusion of multiple historical planes. The 40th Anniversary Edition update will let players take control of milestone aircraft like the Wright Flyer, the first aircraft to achieve sustained flight; the Spirit of St. Louis, the plane used in the first nonstop solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean; and the H-4 Hercules, AKA the Spruce Goose, the massive wooden seaplane known for only flying once. Of course, players will be able to fly it more than that in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Microsoft says that the Anniversary update will contain 12 new aircraft, among which will be fan-requested planes like the Airbus A-310, along with 10 glider airports and 14 heliports to accommodate the new aircraft types. And as a further nod to the franchise’s history, the update will also boast 20 missions from earlier installments of Microsoft Flight Simulator. In short, players will have a bunch of new content to look forward to this fall.

In the meantime, though, Microsoft and Asobo have new content for players to download today. This comes with the 1919 Junkers F 13, the first all-metal transport plane, as well as the first-ever City Update. A smaller-scale version of Microsoft Flight Simulator’s World Updates, this first one will enhance the German cities of Hanover, Dortmund, Dusseldorf, Bonn, and Cologne with photogrammetry-modeled detail. With Gamescom happening  in Cologne at this time, it’s fitting that German planes and cities are having some special treatment.

Microsoft Flight Simulator is available for PC and Xbox Series X/S.