Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024’s new World Update 21: Australia has arrived, and in addition to adding more cities, airports, and three-dozen new points of interest, the update includes a new mission meant to honor the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS). This is the largest fire service in the world, made up of nearly 70,000 volunteers, and it’s a big job in the country where bushfires are an ongoing threat. Devastating fires in the country in 2019/2020 made international news, with millions of acres burned, more than 30 human deaths, and more than 1.5 billion animals losing their lives due to the blazes.
One technique that firefighters use to put out fires in Australia is aerial firefighting, which is where the MS Flight Simulator crossover comes in. The game is adding a mission where players will use a water-bombing technique to put out a fire in the state of New South Wales, home to Sydney. This involves piloting a specialized aircraft and dumping a huge amount of water on a fire to help put it out.
In the game, players are called to put out a fire near Coffs Harbour. The mission involves players piloting an aircraft to a body of water where they scoop it up and then fly to the fire to help put it out.
NSW’s Director of Aviation, Assistant Commissioner Jayson McKellar AFSM, said the mission in MS Flight Simulator 2024 will help build awareness about how aerial firefighting works. It could also help with recruitment.
“If people gain a better understanding of how aircraft support firefighting operations, that is a positive outcome,” he said. “It is also a great opportunity for those with a keen interest in aviation to better understand the role of aerial firefighting and the possibility of career paths within the sector locally. The more dedicated and highly trained professionals we have in this field, the better.”
It’s not just the RFS tapping into the gaming community for recruitment for an aviation-related field, as the US government is seeking gamers to become air traffic controllers.