FlightSimExpo 2021, held Sept. 24-26 in San Diego, featured a weekend of flight simulation seminars, exhibits, and meet-ups.
“It was an amazing weekend for flight simulation,” says FSA Co-Founder Phil Coyle. “It was undoubtedly a different show than we’ve had in the past, but the spirit of togetherness was stronger than ever.”
The event welcomed more than 700 attendees and 25 exhibitors, including some of the biggest names in home flight simulation. The exhibit hall allowed attendees to try the latest in flight simulation hardware and software, including yokes, joysticks, virtual reality devices, GPS replicas, and even force feedback.
Meanwhile, 30 seminars took place across the three-day show. Alongside educational “how-to” seminars, presentations from the United States Air Force and the National Transportation Safety Board shed light on how flight simulation technology — the same software used on home computers around the world — is being used to enhance real-world aviation safety.
For the first time ever, the show was also available online, bringing the show to attendees in more than 40 countries. Virtual attendees had access to watch all 30 seminars live, along with the chance to win prizes and giveaways through a special FlightSimExpo app available to all attendees.
Developers used FlightSimExpo to announce and demonstrate what they’ve been working on since the last show. In one of the most highly-anticipated announcements, Laminar Research — makers of the X-Plane flight simulator —shared preview images and videos of its next simulator version, X-Plane 12. Thrustmaster announced a new, Boeing-licensed yoke, and Turtle Beach debuted its VelocityOne Flight Universal Control System for Xbox and PC. X-Crafts shared a preview of the upcoming E-jets series for X-Plane, and FlightFactor provided more information and previews about what to expect in their development pipeline.
Exhibitors and sponsors who could not attend the show in-person also took part in the fun, with simulator fly-ins on Infinite Flight, IVAO, VATSIM, and other locations happening throughout the weekend.
Although this year’s show is over, anyone can get access to all 30 seminar recordings, including more than 20 hours of high-definition content. Visit FlightSimExpo.com to see the full list of content available and register for $15 to get instant access. The content will be available for purchase and on-demand viewing until Nov. 28, with purchases supporting the event in future years.