Organizers say travel planning can begin now, with hotel reservations and travel discounts already available. Event tickets are scheduled to go on sale in December.
Everything Under One Roof
For 2027, FlightSimExpo is putting both the convention and its official hotel accommodations at the Westgate Las Vegas.
That should make things considerably easier for attendees who want to spend the weekend immersed in flight simulation without repeatedly traveling between a hotel and separate convention venue.
The Westgate is located approximately 15 minutes from Harry Reid International Airport and also provides access to the Las Vegas Strip through several transportation options.
Those include the Las Vegas Monorail, Vegas Loop and a complimentary shuttle service.
For attendees flying into LAS, that means the weekend can potentially go from real airplane to virtual airplane with relatively little logistical turbulence.
Three Days of Flight Simulation
FlightSimExpo is a three-day gathering centered around flight simulation and aviation.
The event brings together:
- Flight simulation developers
- Hardware manufacturers
- Nonprofit organizations
- Virtual airlines
- Air traffic control organizations
- Aviation professionals
- Flight sim communities
- Pilots and aviation enthusiasts
Attendees can expect product demonstrations, hands-on hardware, software previews, developer presentations, air traffic control demonstrations, aviation tours and major announcements.
The event has traditionally become one of the places where flight simulation companies reveal new products and give users an opportunity to try upcoming hardware and software before release.
Not Just for Hardcore Simmers
FlightSimExpo organizers are emphasizing that the convention is intended for the entire flight simulation community, regardless of platform or experience level.
That includes the simmer with an elaborate home cockpit and enough switches to make the electric company nervous.
It also includes someone who just started flying Microsoft Flight Simulator on a console.
Mobile users are welcome too, including pilots flying Infinite Flight, along with users running X-Plane 12 on Mac and other simulation platforms.
The message from organizers is straightforward: if flight simulation or aviation is your thing, the event is meant for you.
A Chance to Actually Meet the People Behind the Screens
One of FlightSimExpo’s biggest attractions has always been the opportunity to put faces to names normally seen in Discord servers, forums, YouTube videos and multiplayer networks.
Thousands of flight simulation enthusiasts attend the event, along with developers and companies whose products many simmers use every day.
That creates opportunities to talk directly with the teams behind aircraft, scenery, hardware, avionics, weather products and other simulation technology.
It also gives virtual airlines, ATC networks and nonprofit groups an opportunity to meet users face-to-face.
For an industry that lives primarily online, FlightSimExpo offers something surprisingly unusual:
Everybody is suddenly in the same room.
Hardware You Can Actually Touch
Flight simulation hardware is another major part of the convention.
Rather than trying to judge a yoke, throttle, rudder pedal set or cockpit panel from a product photo, attendees can often try equipment themselves on the show floor.
That can be especially valuable as home simulator setups become increasingly sophisticated.
Modern flight sim hardware now ranges from relatively inexpensive desktop controls to replica airliner panels, force-feedback systems, advanced avionics and full cockpit installations.
FlightSimExpo gives manufacturers a place to demonstrate those products directly to the people most likely to spend an afternoon rearranging an entire office because a new throttle quadrant arrived.
Major Announcements Often Happen at the Show
The convention has also become an important stage for flight simulation announcements.
Developers frequently use FlightSimExpo to reveal upcoming aircraft, demonstrate new software, announce partnerships or provide major development updates.
That means attendees are not simply seeing products already sitting on store shelves.
They may also be among the first people to see what is coming next.
For the broader community watching from home, the event often generates several days of announcements, interviews and previews.
Aviation Beyond the Simulator
FlightSimExpo is not limited exclusively to virtual aviation.
The event also attracts real-world pilots, aviation professionals and aviation enthusiasts, and organizers include aviation-related activities and tours as part of the weekend.
That crossover has always been an important part of the show.
Flight simulation increasingly overlaps with professional aviation training, pilot education, hardware development and real-world flying.
At FlightSimExpo, those worlds tend to collide in the best possible way.
Las Vegas Gives Attendees Plenty to Do
Holding the entire event at the Westgate also puts attendees close to the broader Las Vegas entertainment district.
The property is connected to the Strip through the Las Vegas Monorail, while additional transportation options include the Vegas Loop and shuttle service.
That gives visitors plenty of options once the exhibit hall closes.
Of course, judging by previous flight simulation gatherings, there will inevitably be someone who travels all the way to Las Vegas and still spends Saturday night discussing FMC route discontinuities.
Some traditions are simply too powerful to defeat.
Hotel Reservations Are Available Now
FlightSimExpo says attendees can already begin making travel plans.
Hotel room bookings and travel discounts are currently available for the 2027 event.
That gives people traveling from outside Las Vegas plenty of time to plan flights and accommodations before the convention.
Tickets to FlightSimExpo itself are scheduled to go on sale in December 2026.
Mark the Calendar
FlightSimExpo 2027 will take place:
June 11-13, 2027
Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada
For three days, the Westgate will become a gathering place for flight simmers, developers, pilots, virtual controllers, hardware manufacturers and aviation enthusiasts from around the world.
Whether you fly an airliner from a full home cockpit, run X-Plane on a laptop, control traffic online, or occasionally launch a simulator just to see whether you can land somewhere without bending anything expensive, FlightSimExpo is aiming to bring the community together.
And in June 2027, it is doing it in Las Vegas
