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Microsoft has rolled out a new minor update for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, and while this one may not come with flashy new features or headline-grabbing aircraft, it does bring something many simmers will gladly take: improved stability. Sim Update 16.1 (version 1.39.12.0) officially went live on March 2, 2026 and focuses on fixing a handful of crash-related issues across PC and Xbox.

One of the biggest fixes in this update targets a boot crash affecting some NVIDIA users on PC. For pilots who were getting grounded before even reaching the main menu, that alone makes this patch worth the download. Microsoft also addressed a more specific issue involving corrupted GPU allocations tied to empty vector shapes, a bug that had been causing crashes over the South Island of New Zealand for users running World Update 12 with DirectX 12 enabled.

Xbox users were not left out of the repair hangar either. According to the official release notes, the update also fixes a crash related to input handling on Xbox systems. On top of that, Microsoft included an SDK-side fix for developers, resolving a random SimConnect crash that could happen when data definitions were cleared while active requests were still referencing them.

What makes this patch especially notable is that Microsoft framed it as a carefully watched stability release. In the official notes posted ahead of launch, the team said they had been monitoring feedback during flighting but also noted that flighting telemetry for MSFS 2020 has become less reliable since the arrival of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Because of that, the developers even prepared a fallback version of the update in case the intended 16.1 release created new problems.

For the average simmer, this is the kind of update that may not look exciting on paper, but it could make a real difference where it counts. Fewer startup crashes, fewer location-specific CTDs, and better platform stability are the sort of quiet improvements that help keep flights smooth from pushback to parking.

If you're still flying regularly in MSFS 2020, this is one update you'll probably want to install before your next trip.

The post Microsoft Releases Minor Stability Patch for MSFS 2020 appeared first on Sky Blue Radio.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/microsoft-stability-patch-msfs-2020

AOPA is backing a new bipartisan bill that would help modernize safety at federal contract towers by bringing ADS-B-based situational awareness tools to airports that currently operate without radar or similar surveillance systems. The proposal, called the Air Traffic Situational Awareness Enhancement Act, was introduced in late February and aims to close a long-standing gap at smaller towered airports across the country.

According to AOPA, more than 90 contract towers still lack radar or other surveillance technology. That means controllers at those facilities often rely heavily on visual scanning and pilot radio calls to build the traffic picture around the airport. The new legislation would require the FAA to install a more affordable ADS-B-based solution designed to improve local traffic awareness without the higher cost of traditional radar systems.

At the center of the bill is the Airborne Position Reference Tool, or APRT. This system uses ADS-B data from aircraft to present controllers with a real-time view of nearby traffic, giving them a much clearer picture of what is happening in the pattern and surrounding airspace. Supporters say the technology can significantly improve safety and situational awareness, especially at busier non-radar tower environments where timing, spacing, and visibility can quickly become complicated.

AOPA praised the measure as an important step for general aviation. In remarks tied to the bill's introduction, the organization said contract towers play a vital role in the national airspace system and that equipping them with these tools would give controllers better awareness while improving safety for pilots.

For pilots, this is one of those behind-the-scenes aviation stories that may not grab attention like a new aircraft reveal or a major airline order, but it could have a real impact where it counts most: day-to-day operations at community airports. If the bill moves forward, it could help bring a modern layer of traffic visibility to dozens of towers that have been working without it for years.

For the general aviation world, that makes this one worth watching.

The post AOPA Backs New Bill to Bring ADS-B Awareness Tools to Contract Towers appeared first on Sky Blue Radio.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/aopa-backs-bill-ads-b-contract-towers

One of Asia's most iconic aviation hubs has officially landed in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. iniBuilds has now released Hong Kong International Airport (VHHH) for the new sim platform, giving virtual pilots a detailed recreation of one of the world's busiest and most visually striking gateways.

For simmers who love long-haul flying, regional hops across Asia, or just soaking in dramatic approaches with a skyline in the distance, this release is a big one. Hong Kong has long been a favorite destination in the flight simulation world, and iniBuilds is positioning this version as one of its most ambitious airport projects yet.

What makes this release especially interesting is that it goes beyond the airport itself. Reports say the package includes the Hong Kong City Landmarks add-on at no extra charge, helping expand the experience beyond the terminal area and into the surrounding city environment. That turns this into more than a simple airport drop. It becomes a full destination package for pilots who want the complete Hong Kong experience.

iniBuilds has also said that part of the real-world terminal area currently under construction is expected to be added later as a free update once that work is completed in real life. That gives the scenery a little future-proof sparkle and suggests the developer plans to keep refining the project after release.

The release is available now through the iniBuilds store, where the airport is listed at 19.99 GBP. The separate Hong Kong City Landmarks product is also listed in the store, though current reporting says it is included with the airport package for this release.

For Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 users looking to expand their route network with a major international destination, Hong Kong International looks like a strong addition to the hangar. Between the scale of the airport, the included city landmarks, and the promise of future updates, this is the kind of release that could easily become a regular stop in your virtual schedule

The post iniBuilds Releases Hong Kong International for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 appeared first on Sky Blue Radio.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/inibuilds-hong-kong-international-msfs-2024

If you've spent any time flying online networks like VATSIM, Pilot Edge, or IVAO, or simply marvelled at how real-world controllers juggle hundreds of aircraft through busy airspace, you'll appreciate just how remarkable it is that the real US ATC system still works as well as it does - because under the hood, it's running on infrastructure that in many places predates the internet. Floppy disks. Paper strips. Radar hardware from the Reagan era. That's finally about to change in a big way, and aerospace giant RTX is positioning itself right at the heart of it.

On March 3rd, RTX's Collins Aerospace division hosted a briefing in Washington to demonstrate the technology it's pitching as the backbone of the FAA's Brand New Air Traffic Control System - the somewhat bluntly named BNATCS. The briefing followed close on the heels of a $438 million contract Collins secured in January to begin replacing hundreds of the country's ageing ground-based radar systems. But that contract, it turns out, may only be the opening bid.

A System Running on Floppy Disks
It's not an exaggeration to say America's air traffic control infrastructure is overdue for a rethink. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has been direct about it: "Most of our radars date back to the 1980s - it's unacceptable." Reports have revealed the system still running on floppy disks in some facilities, with controllers relying on paper strips in others. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has noted that many radar units have simply exceeded their intended service life, making them increasingly costly and difficult to maintain.

The January 2025 midair collision near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which killed 67 people, brought renewed urgency to the issue. President Trump threw his political weight behind an overhaul, and Congress subsequently approved $12.5 billion as an initial down payment through the "One Big Beautiful Bill" signed into law in July 2025 - part of an envisioned $31.5 billion total investment.

What is BNATCS? The Brand New Air Traffic Control System is the US Department of Transportation's sweeping plan to overhaul American airspace infrastructure from the ground up. The programme covers new radar systems, 27,625 new radios, 462 digital voice switches, 110 weather stations in Alaska, a new ATC centre, and eventually a Common Automation Platform to unify how controllers track and manage aircraft nationwide. Peraton was selected as the prime integrator for the programme in December 2025.

The Radar Contract: RTX and Indra Get to Work
The first major contracts under BNATCS went to Collins Aerospace and Spanish firm Indra in early January, tasking both companies with replacing up to 612 ground-based radar installations by June 2028. The current radar network consists of 14 different configurations - a maintenance and logistics nightmare - which the new systems are designed to consolidate into a single unified architecture.

Collins' $438 million share of that work will see it deliver two radar types: the Condor Mk3, a cooperative secondary radar that communicates directly with aircraft transponders, and the ASR-XM, a non-cooperative primary radar that tracks aircraft using reflected radio signals. Both systems are already operating within the National Airspace System and have previously been certified by the FAA - meaning deployment can begin quickly rather than waiting years for new approvals. Installations are expected to prioritise high-traffic areas first, rolling out progressively through 2028.

"As a trusted supplier to the FAA for more than 70 years, Collins is ready to rapidly deploy next-generation radar systems that replace outdated technology with a single, modern and interoperable solution." - Nate Boelkins, President of Avionics, Collins Aerospace

Indra, which was awarded a separate $342 million contract for the same programme, already has significant US operations and a manufacturing base in Kansas - with plans to expand further with a new Kansas City facility coming online this year. Together, the two companies form what the DOT has described as the "surveillance backbone" of the new system.

The Bigger Prize: AutoTrac and the Common Automation Platform
Replacing old radar units, while critical, is really just stage one. The most transformative - and most expensive - piece of BNATCS is the Common Automation Platform, or CAP: a unified digital brain intended to replace the separate legacy systems controllers currently use to manage terminal and en route airspace. Right now, those two worlds operate on entirely different platforms - the ERAM system for en route airspace and STARS for terminal operations. Collins' own Cedric Vigil described them bluntly as "separate stovepipe systems."

RTX's answer is AutoTrac - a platform with roots going back to the 1990s that the company has been quietly modernising into a candidate for the CAP contract. AutoTrac consolidates data from radar, ADS-B transponders, and other surveillance sources into a single interface, automating terminal, en route, oceanic, and surface operations simultaneously. Rather than stovepipes, Vigil described the new architecture as more of a "layer cake" - different functional tiers that can each be managed independently within one unified digital environment.

The practical upshot for controllers would be a cleaner, more integrated picture of the airspace with less manual data-juggling between disconnected systems. The system also uses intelligent filtering to surface relevant information and suppress noise, reducing cognitive workload at a time when air traffic volumes are rising. Crucially, it's also designed with the future in mind: Nathan Boelkins noted that AutoTrac can be scaled to accommodate the growing number of unmanned drones and eVTOL aircraft expected to share airspace in the coming decades.

A Strong Contender - But Nothing's Decided Yet
RTX enters the CAP competition with a significant advantage: Collins Aerospace is already the FAA's primary contractor for the STARS terminal system, meaning the agency's controllers know their technology well. The company also claims its systems currently help manage roughly two-thirds of global airspace - a remarkable market share that speaks to years of international contract wins. More than 550 RTX radar systems are already active within the National Airspace System today.

The FAA issued its request for information on the CAP back in November 2025, with responses due December 19th. As of this week, the agency has made no further public announcement on the selection process. The CAP contract is not funded under the current $12.5 billion allocation - Secretary Duffy has repeatedly pushed Congress for an additional $19-20 billion to complete the full vision, though he has faced pushback from lawmakers wary of handing over more money before the first phase shows results.

Why This Matters for Simmers
For flight simulation fans, the ATC overhaul is a fascinating real-world parallel to systems we interact with virtually every flight. The shift from fragmented legacy platforms to a unified automation layer mirrors what the best modern FMCs and flight management systems do on the aircraft side - integrating multiple data streams into one coherent picture. As BNATCS rolls out, expect to see real-world ATC procedures evolve in ways that will eventually filter through into sim updates too. If you fly on VATSIM or IVAO, the infrastructure underpinning the skies you model is getting a once-in-a-generation upgrade.

What Comes Next
RTX and Indra are expected to begin their first radar installations this quarter, prioritising the busiest sections of US airspace. The changes won't be immediately visible to the casual observer - but for those of us who follow aviation closely, the gradual replacement of failing 1980s hardware with modern, interoperable systems is genuinely significant. Better radar coverage, reduced controller workload, and improved weather resilience are the kinds of foundational improvements that eventually ripple through everything - including how real-world ATC procedures are modelled in the simulators we fly.

The bigger question - whether Congress will fund the full $31.5 billion vision including the CAP - remains open. What's clear is that RTX, with its deep existing relationship with the FAA, its proven technology, and its newly won radar contract, is positioning itself to be the defining contractor of whatever shape the new American sky ultimately takes.

We'll keep following this story as contracts are awarded and installations begin. Stay tuned to Sky Blue Radio for the latest from both the real and virtual skies.

Join the Conversation - Have you ever noticed real-world ATC procedures reflected in the sims you fly, or spotted a gap where the sim hasn't caught up with reality? Maybe you fly on VATSIM and have thoughts on how a modernised US ATC network might change online flying. Drop us a message on air, hit us up on Discord

The post RTX Eyes a Major Slice of the US$12.5 Billion Air Traffic Control Overhaul appeared first on Sky Blue Radio.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/rtx-us-air-traffic-control-overhaul-bnatcs

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This May, Sky Blue Radio hits a huge milestone: 19 years of continuous community engagement with aviators, sim pilots, builders, dreamers, and everyone who keeps their headset mic hot and their skies busy.

And now we're looking for the right person to help us grow the next chapter.

What we need
We're seeking a Marketing/Sales person who can help bring in advertising and promotional partnerships that fit our audience, our vibe, and our mission. If you can talk to businesses like a human (not a brochure), build relationships, and turn "That sounds interesting" into "Let's do it," you'll fit right in.

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BlueSkyStar Simulation (BSS) stirred up flight sim debate after announcing new X-Plane 12 plans and a tougher anti-piracy stance, including "destroy haters" language. Here's what it means for simmers.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/blueskystar-simulation-anti-piracy-controversy

TFDi Design releases a major MD-11 update for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, including version 1.1 upgrades, a new follow-up patch, and details on Marketplace and Xbox plans.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/tfdidesign-md11-update-msfs-2024

The best prices are available to those who register before March 1. Get tickets at flightsimexpo.com/register.

 SAINT PAUL - February 26, 2026 - FlightSimExpo is June 12-14, 2026 at the Saint Paul RiverCentre, an 8-mile drive from MSP Airport and 20 minutes from the Mall of America?. Get tickets at flightsimexpo.com/register before prices increase on March 1.

"We offer the best prices for those who can make their travel plans early," says FSA Co-Founder Phil Coyle. "Plus, if you're an FSA Captain, you'll save an additional 20% on tickets while getting access to a dedicated entrance lane, priority Addons registration, and more."

More than 40 Exhibitors are Already Confirmed

FlightSimExpo is excited to welcome new and familiar developers to this year's event. In all, there are more than 40 exhibitors confirmed so far-with specific names to be revealed later this year.

Courtesy of Diamond+ Sponsor Navigraph, each FlightSimExpo attendee will receive a personalized badge designed to make everyone feel welcome at the show. Navigraph will also be on-site presenting an upcoming release, offering in-person attendees an exclusive first look at new features designed to enhance the flight simulation experience. The team will be at the booth to demo the full Navigraph product, answer questions, and connect directly with the community, as well as discuss Navigraph Academy and SimBrief with visitors who want to learn more.

Grinnelli Designs Presents the FSExpo 2026 Combat Arena

This new high-energy, interactive experience allows attendees to compete, learn, and connect through aviation-inspired contests and events that capture the excitement of flight and the spirit of discovery. The Combat Arena will be available to all FlightSimExpo attendees.

"In partnership with industry leaders who share our passion for aviation and immersive simulation, we're planning a dynamic lineup of events designed to engage and excite attendees throughout the weekend," said Joe Grinnelli, CEO of Grinnelli Designs. "Highlights include a head-to-head air combat competition, team operations, airshow-style performances, and more-with great prizes available to be won."

Airline, Hotel, and Car Rental Discounts

FlightSimExpo attendees save on hotels and airfare. This year's hotel rates start at just $149/night, plus local taxes. Airfare deals are available from Delta, United, Southwest, and codeshare partners. Make your travel plans early and take advantage of great rates at flightsimexpo.com/travel.

"If you liked the vibe in Providence, you'll love this year's venue," says Co-Founder Evan Reiter, who conducted the initial site inspection in February 2025 and will be returning for a pre-show visit this April. "Located on the banks of the Mississippi River, Saint Paul has a walkable, vibrant, and friendly downtown with great restaurants and easy access to natural places. Since Minnesota Wild games are played at the same complex as our venue, we're looking forward to an incredible atmosphere-especially if the team makes it to the NHL playoffs again this year."

Flight Sim Developers: Sponsor and Exhibit at FlightSimExpo 2026

FlightSimExpo welcomes software developers, hardware vendors, communities, and other flight simulation organizations to participate as sponsors, exhibitors, and speakers. Details on getting involved are available at flightsimexpo.com/partner.

"We've made it super easy for flight sim devs of all sizes to participate," says Evan. "The number one reason attendees come to the event is to meet the people behind the projects. Please look at our 2026 Partner Overview, speak to other devs who've attended, or reach out to me if you'd like to support the show."

The post Get Tickets for FlightSimExpo 2026 Now: Prices Increase on March 1 appeared first on Sky Blue Radio.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/get-tickets-for-flightsimexpo-2026-now-prices-increase-on-march-1

A new wave of debate is swirling around PMDG upgrade fees in MSFS 2024, with simmers split over paid platform upgrades versus free update expectations.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/pmdg-upgrade-fees-controversy-msfs-2024

PMDG's 737-600 is now available for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Here's what you get, what to know about pricing and upgrade eligibility, and why the -600 is a hand-flying favorite.

via: https://skyblueradio.com/pmdg-737-600-msfs-2024-release