TPC at FSExpo 2026 - Recap
TPC crew L-R: Maddy, Elliot, Kevin, Serge, Katya, James.
For the third year in a row, The Pilot Club attended the FlightSimExpo, this time in Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Minnesota. What began as an exciting first-time adventure has grown into one of the highlights of our calendar each year.
FSExpo 2026 once again brought together thousands of flight simulation enthusiasts, developers, real-world pilots, content creators, and aviation organizations from around the world. But for us, the weekend wasn’t just about the latest hardware announcements or new software releases. It was about reconnecting with old friends, meeting TPC members face-to-face for the first time, sharing our passion for aviation, and celebrating the incredible community we’ve built together.
If you’re new to the scene, FlightSimExpo is the flagship event of the Flight Simulation Association (FSA), a community-powered convention connecting flightsim enthusiasts, developers, real-world pilots, and dreamers. Since its debut in Las Vegas back in 2018, FSExpo has made stops in Orlando, San Diego, Houston, Vegas (again), and Providence.
One of the full-shell A320 simulators at the expo.
TPC crew with FSExpo organizer Evan.
This year, we had even more staff members at our booth: Elliot | TPC24, our VP of Pilot Training, James | TPC36, our VP of Airline Operations, Katya, our Chief Financial Officer, Maddy, our Marketing Coordinator, and Kevin | TPC3389, our Director of Pilot Training (ATO).
On travel day, we decided to tour the city a little bit, before the exhibit floor opened. St. Paul is a nice town on the Mississippi River, so we walked around the sites a bit to get a sense of the atmosphere. It’s a cool location for this year’s expo.
L-R: James, Serge, Kevin.
The view on Mississippi river from the event hotel.
On Day 1 (Friday), we finished setting up TPC booth, and that afternoon the show floor doors opened for a preview for the attendees, with many stopping by to check out the exhibit.
Thought the show, VATUSA controllers live-controled VATSIM traffic, including FNO event flight on Friday, right from the showroom floor! A bunch of TPC members flew this flight!
James sorting out TPC merch at TPC booth. Katya in the background.
St. Paul Convention Centre was home to FSExpo 2026.
VATUSA controller during VATUSA live event from FSExpo.
Greg | TPC810 controlling on VATSIM live from the FSExpo.
Day 2 (Saturday) was the main exhibition day. We had many flightsim enthusiasts and aspiring pilots stopped by TPC booth to chat about all that TPC has to offer.
In addition to our flightsim community features, this year we are showcasing our upcoming real world FAA-certified Part 61 Ground School and announcing our Aviation Career Center for flightsimmers who want to start their aviation career journey. Our goal is to bring high-quality aviation education programs that introduce students to aviation careers and build a stronger, more diverse workforce pipeline for the aviation industry, designed to give students early exposure to the technical knowledge and aviation career pathways.
Throughout the show, we had a chance to explore and check out the latest innovations in flightsim gear, software, and services. But the best part of the weekend was meeting fellow TPC Members face-to-face.
This year, I had the pleasure of meeting Chris | TPC506 (one of our Developers), Mike | TPC724 and his wife Meredith, Vince | TPC 5711 (from Canada), Phil TPC3170, Greg | TPC810 (ZHU ARTCC Manager, Controller, and former TPC Flight OPs Team Lead), and Jeffey (from our sister club vUSA Flying Club).
I also reconnected with Greg | 98GD, Mike | TPC1610, Nunzio, Tim | TPC538, and Tony (from Bravo737.com and a dear friend of the Club), Dan (ZNY ARTCC), Brandon (VATUSA1), and Brandon (VATUSA2).
Chris | TPC506 at TPC booth.
Nunzio at TPC booth.
Serge with Jeffrey from Virtual USA Flying Club
Phil | TPC3170 at TPC booth.
As an established tradition now, one of the best highlights of the weekend was our TPC Dinner on Saturday, where we enjoyed some great conversation and laughs in a casual setting. It was a reminder that, while flight simulation is what brings us together, it’s the people that make this hobby special.
On the last day of the show, I was invited to participate in FSElite community roundtable: a panel discussion on how we can combat toxicity within the community and make people feel more welcomed as the hobby grows. This topic is near and dear to me, because fostering a welcoming and friendly environment is one of our core pillars at TPC.
Serge on FSElite stage for the FSElite community roundtable.
We had a great time exhibiting and meeting community members who are passionate about aviation and flightsim. It was a wonderful opportunity for us to connect with aviation and flightsim enthusiasts to see how TPC may fulfill their needs. It was also great to meet various developers and hardware manufacturers. The star of the show was WINCTRL, and I must say their product line for Airbuis A320 looks amazing!
It was also very cool to meet in-person Jacob and Spencer from AviNation - an online aviation magazine we worked with on a project before.
Other booths we were excited to see were Aerosoft, FBW, Pimax, Say Intentions AI, Plane English, and more.
Throughout the show we linked up with several flightsim companies and organizations, so stay tuned on the blog for some awesome partnership announcements later this year!
HoneyComb CEO at TPC booth.
L-R: Kevin, James, Greg, Serge.
The venue for FSExpo 2026.
At the end of the show the net venue was announced; we are going back to Vegas in 2027. We are so excited and hope to see you there!
Small favor, big impact! The Pilot Club is a nonprofit organization. Your tax-deductible monetary contribution will help fund our operations, bringing a great aviation and flightsim community experience to all Members. Thank you!
