It’s free! So, if you’ve been looking for more options in Microsoft Flight Simulator this is a great update.
Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting a very cool Top Gun-themed update today, with players now able to fly the iconic F-18 Super Hornet
Microsoft Flight Simulator is getting a very cool Top Gun-themed update today, with players now able to fly the iconic F-18 Super Hornet.
The expansion will add both the F-14 Tomcat and T-38 Talon supersonic trainer to the game, along with new missions and campaigns. A single mission pack will also be available for purchase separately from this update.
The new update gives access to the F-14 Tomcat (including its variable-sweep wings) and T-38 Talon supersonic trainer, which are also available in three new variants.
The new update gives access to the F-14 Tomcat (including its variable-sweep wings) and T-38 Talon supersonic trainer, which are also available in three new variants. If you don’t have the original Flight Simulator X base game but want to try out these new planes, Microsoft has an offer on Steam. The store is selling a bundle that includes all of its expansion packs for just $30.
Players will also be able to take on up to 15 different missions, including landing F-14 jets on an aircraft carrier.
You can land on a carrier with the F-14 Tomcat, one of the most iconic aircraft from this era.
You can take off and fly missions in up to three new variants of the F-14 (and it has two variants already) as well as up to four new variants of T-38 Talon, another iconic aircraft from this era.
There are 15 different missions available, including carrier landings!
There are a few trickier challenges, too, like taking down enemy targets while escorting your wingman and avoiding enemy fire, or performing low-speed aerobatics as you fly through canyons near the Golden Gate Bridge.
The expansion also includes several new training missions, including one where you’ll have to take down enemy targets while escorting your wingman and avoiding enemy fire. There are a few trickier challenges, too, like performing low-speed aerobatics as you fly through canyons near the Golden Gate Bridge.
See? We told you we were talking about Top Gun here!
These missions require quick thinking and agile maneuvers… and more practice than I’ve had with the game thus far!
Flying the F-18. This is a tricky beast to tame, and I had no idea what I was doing when I started out. It’s not that this aircraft is hard to fly, per se; but it does have unique characteristics compared to other planes in the game and it will take some practice to become comfortable with them. Some of those characteristics include:
The Tomcat has landing gear that must be retracted before takeoff (unlike every other aircraft in Flight Simulator).
The Tomcat doesn’t have fuel tanks attached directly under its wings like most other combat jets do; instead they’re attached on either side of its fuselage at an angle (also unlike most other combat jets).
The Tomcat has an afterburner that gives it much more power for short periods of time during flight—this can help you accelerate quickly or climb above your opponents without having to sacrifice speed later on in your flight path, which makes this an incredibly powerful tool for dogfighting.
