The first Falcon arrives in MSFS as Contrail releases the FA50

For all the business jets that have found their way into Microsoft Flight Simulator, the Dassault Falcon had yet to be one of them. That changes today! Contrail, the studio most of us know as a marketplace and add-on manager, has released its Falcon FA50, the first Falcon of any kind to reach the sim and the company’s first aircraft as a developer rather than a storefront. It is an unusual debut on two counts, and the result of a development cycle that ran about two and a half years.

When Contrail unveiled the project at FlightSimExpo 2025, the reaction was a mix of enthusiasm and surprise. A marketplace moving into aircraft development was a bold step, and the Falcon 50, a French trijet from the 1970s, was an unexpected choice to lead with. We followed the project from that reveal through to the cinematic trailer at FSWeekend in March, and the release candidate that was a couple of weeks out back in May.

What’s in the cockpit

Contrail has been specific about the cockpit it chose to model. Rather than a factory-fresh panel, the developer says it built the commonly seen EFIS retrofit, pairing a digital Collins 85C EFIS with a Garmin MX20 MFD and a GNS-XLS flight management computer. The team says it gave the interior a deliberately lived-in look to reflect an airframe that has spent decades in service and picked up upgrades along the way. That puts the FA50 at an interesting point in time, a 1970s design running avionics that real operators have retrofitted over the years.

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On MSFS 2024 the package goes further. Contrail says it simulates a true weather radar with support for the Tilt feature from Sim Update 5, which is exclusive to the 2024 edition and can be shown on the EHSI. The MX20 and GNS-XLS can display datalink weather, the broadcast product fed through XM-style aviation receivers in real retrofitted Falcon 50s. The 2024 build also includes an enhanced EFB. Contrail’s custom app handles weight and balance with SimBrief and JetCard import, adds Navigraph Charts integration and a ground handling page, and there is a clip-style performance chart for takeoff and landing with synced speed bugs and weights.

On the automation side, Contrail lists a full autopilot suite that mirrors the real aircraft’s modes, with VNAV, dedicated climb and descent modes with profiles, Parallel Course, VNAV Offset and VNAV Direct To. The autothrottle holds Max Continuous Thrust in the climb and Mach Hold in the cruise.

Built around the whole operation

A recurring theme across Contrail’s updates has been the full operation rather than only the flight. The aircraft includes a walkaround mode with chocks and engine and pitot covers, a fuelling panel that lets you fuel the aircraft yourself, and a very cool custom pushback tool. On MSFS 2024 that takes the form of a remote control you can use to tow the aircraft around the ramp yourself. A native GSX profile is included for compatibility, and the developer says animated passengers can board. The galley and cabin are complete, with interactive touches such as sun shades, auto-adjusting window blinds, a TOW / NO TOW sign tied to the parking brake, and a torque link disconnect.

The real Falcon 50

As for the real thing, the Falcon 50 is a long-range trijet certified up to 49,000 feet and capable of high subsonic cruise. Beyond its business role it has flown in military service with several operators, including the French Navy and the Portuguese Air Force, which gives this one a little extra resonance for readers closer to home.

In marketplace terms, the FA50 lands in a fairly quiet corner. There is no direct Falcon rival in the sim, and Contrail’s emphasis on systems depth, real-world pilot input, and ground handling points to an aircraft aimed at simmers who want the full picture rather than only a good-looking model. Whether the flight model and systems hold up to that ambition is what the first wave of community feedback will tell us, and we will be putting in the hours ourselves.

Price and availability

The FA50 is available now through the Contrail Shop for MSFS 2020 and 2024, priced at US$38.28.

There is also a launch pairing on offer. Bundle the FA50 with Dreamflight’s KTEB Teterboro v2 and Contrail applies 25% off the Teterboro scenery at checkout automatically. Teterboro is about as fitting a home base as the type has, given how much of the real Falcon 50 fleet works the US business-aviation circuit.

A quick note for our own readers: Captain’s Club members get a 15% discount on Contrail purchases, so that applies to the FA50 too.

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