Microsoft’s game developers at Asobo Studio and Xbox Game Studios are giving Sedona Airport pride of place among the world’s 37,000 airports in the 2020 edition of the Microsoft Flight Simulator video game, slated for release Aug. 18.
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020 lists the Sedona Airport as one of 30 “enhanced” airports featured in the standard edition of the game. In a release, Microsoft said these “hand-crafted” airports received special attention from programmers to increase their level of detail and fidelity to the real airport.
Other enhanced airports include New York’s John F. Kennedy, London’s Heathrow and Dubai’s international airports.
Flight Simulator has a special place in the hearts of many computer gamers and aviation enthusiasts because it’s been around for a long time, since 1982, and the game introduced many to the fun side of computers.
The new version is generating buzz among enthusiasts because there hasn’t been an update since 2006, and many gamers are excited to experience flight in a virtual world using today’s computing power. Microsoft promises a “vibrant and ever-changing” world, with “live traffic, real-time weather and animals.”
Sedona-based pilots weren’t surprised to hear that Sedona was getting special attention in the game.
“Sedona [Airport’s] on the map — everybody knows about it,” said Russ Demaray, a former Sedona Oak Creek Airport Authority board president. “Most people who fly in who haven’t been here are pretty awed by the red rocks.”
In previews of the game available online, the details of Sedona airport’s buildings are accurate, and the overall illusion of flight is impressive, but the famous red rocks of Sedona are vague. If looked for, the virtual versions of Capitol Butte and Steamboat Rock can be identified, but the landforms don’t have the level of detail to create a pop of recognition.
“I’m kind of excited to see what it looks like,” Demaray said of Microsoft’s virtual Sedona Airport.
