TPC at FSExpo 2024 - Highlights
Coming back from this year’s FSExpo, I am excited to bring you the highlights of my experience attending as an exhibitor. There’s been a lot of coverage of the event via various media outlets (FSElite is our fave), so I won’t go into the event-specific highlights here. But I will lead with this: If you asked me to summarize my experience at this year’s FSExpo in one word, it would be: incredible!
I would like to reflect on my experience at the show to give you an idea what it was like. I am including exclusive photos from the expo as well, because a picture is worth a 1000 words.
A bit of background on what FSExpo is about, if you are not familiar. FlightSimExpo is North America’s community-driven flight simulation conference that took place on 21-23 June 2024 at Rio Resort, in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show launched in Las Vegas in 2018, followed by events in Orlando (2019), San Diego (2021), and Houston (2023). FlightSimExpo is produced by Flight Simulation Association, an organization connecting developers, simmers, and real-world pilots to make it easier to get started with home flight simulation. Providing resources, learning content, webinars, and discounts on top add-ons and simulation hardware, the association acts as a hub for the flight simulation community to explore the passion for virtual aviation.
This is TPC’s first year attending the show. Myself and my wife, as well as Eric and his fiancé were representing TPC at the event. This year - there were so many developers, communities, hardware manufacturers, and much more... it was a bit overwhelming! The show was attended by 2500 people - that’s amazing!
Over the course of the show, we connected with many flightsim enthusiasts from around the country and the World. TPC booth #340 was located in the Flightsim Communities Area, near VATSIM, Southwest Virtual Airlines, Vattastic, and MidCon, and was visited by many attendees. What we saw was that the community was interested in what TPC had to offer. Based on that response, I am positive that TPC is on the right course as we continue to grow and evolve.
We had a chance to connect with many VATSIM controllers, who frequently provide coverage for TPC group flights. It was great to meet in person with those controllers we know very well on frequency. Shout out to New York ARTCC, Fort Worth ARTCC, Miami ARTCC, and Washington ARTCC. I was also thankful for the opportunity to chat with members of VATGOV and VATUSA and express my appreciation from all of us at TPC for the wonderful job the controllers are doing.
Witnessing VATUSA “Light Up America” LIVE FNO event behind the scenes gave us a unique view behind the scopes. TPC Pilots participated in this event as well, as it is our regularly scheduled group flight.
We chatted with several developers: FSS, FBW, Hype PG, XPlane, MSFS, Vattastic, Volanta, and Navigraph, to name a few, about their products. I am pumped about FSS Boeing 727 and FBW A380 (coming out Q1/2025). And we were also able to see and test some hardware by Thrustmaster, WingWing (amazing affordable products announced), and more. While we cannot say anything here at the moment, TPC will be collaborating with several exhibitors, so stay tuned on TPC blog for some exciting announcements in the future!
One of the best experiences for me was socializing with the flightsim community after the show each day. Needless to say, I didn’t get much sleep. Interacting face-to-face to discuss flightsim topics and also getting to know the folks on a more personal level was an incredible and fulfilling experience.
Another highlight for me was meeting TPC Members who were at the show. We are a strong community with many dedicated and talented flightsim pilots. Seeing a few of you at the show was the icing on the cake! A special shoutout to our Partners as well (I see you, Bravo737.com ;), who were at the show this year! I loved the energy and your support!
Overall, I felt there was just not enough time to see and cover everything, but I am hoping to do more next year, as TPC is planning on attending FSExpo 2025 in Providence, Rhode Island, 27-29 June 2025.
I want to close by thanking FSExpo organizers - Flight Simulation Association, for putting on a great event for the community! It has been a highlight of my flightsim hobby over many years and I look forward to doing it again!
That’s it for this post; I hope you enjoyed the insights and the pics, even though words and photos cannot describe the vibe of being at the event.
See ya’ll at FSExpo 2025!
Bonus: Since you read all the way to the end, you get a bonus: a recording of my live interview with JT on Sky Blue Radio.
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