Did You Know South America Has Its Own Flight Sim Expo? No? That’s understandable.

Last year, in November 2024, a small but ambitious event took place in São Paulo, Brazil. The first edition of Expo Aviação Virtual, South America’s only dedicated flight simulation expo. It had just 250 tickets, barely any promotion, and no expectations of international reach.

And yet, two months before the doors even opened, it was completely sold out. That’s about to change this year.

In November 2025, the second edition of Expo Aviação Virtual will return to São Paulo, this time over two full days, with a bigger venue, international attention, and an impressive lineup of both flight sim and real-world aviation partners.

Among those partners are Embraer, ANAC (Brazil’s aviation authority), Azul Airlines, and Microsoft. Yes, that Microsoft. The ones who so far skipped both FSExpo in Providence and FSWeekend in Lelystad. So something special is happening in Brazil. Or Microsoft just fixed enough on their 2024 platform to dare stick their head out in the poen again. Regardless, their participation in this event is a clear signal.

For context, Brazil has a large flight simulation community. One that has historically flown a bit under the global radar. The IVAO Brazil division logged over 9 million flight hours in 2022 alone. It’s a region with a large number of enthusiasts, hobbyist pilots, domestic developers, scenery creators, and even hardware manufacturers. But until recently, there was no event to represent them.

That’s exactly the gap this expo was created to fill.

At Threshold, our primary readership is in the US, UK, Germany, and China. Brazil comes in eighth — which may sound modest, until you remember that we publish exclusively in English. The Brazilian readers who follow us are the power users, the enthusiasts, the ones who actively bridge language barriers to stay informed and involved. That tells us a lot.

So, who are the people making this happen?

Let’s find out.

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From Passion to Platform

The idea for the event came from Saulo Alves, one of four partners behind the expo and a longtime flight sim user — but also a real-world pilot and aviation marketing professional.

“I had access to some figures from the flight simulation community,” Saulo explains. “IVAO Brazil recorded over 9 million flight hours in 2022, for example. That’s when I realized: we have this huge, growing community… and it has zero visibility.”

Saulo had spent years attending real-world aviation events, dozens of them annually. But none had anything focused on virtual aviation — not even in Brazil. Local developers, scenario designers, hardware makers? No platform. No home turf.

“Whenever there was any news about flight simulation,” he adds, “our community had to wait for it to trickle in from the big expos overseas.”

So Saulo and Cassiano built their own.

A First Edition That Sold Out in Silence

Despite being a first-time event, the team pulled together the inaugural Expo Aviação Virtual in just five months. With minimal advertising and a modest 250-person venue, they figured it would be a quiet start - but demand exploded.

“Two months before the event, we were sold out,” says Saulo. “Tickets, booths - everything.”

What’s more surprising is who showed up: PMDG, TFDI, Say Intentions AI, OnAir, and even Azul Airlines, who brought their virtual reality training setup. Regulatory authority ANAC also joined in, showing clear interest from the national aviation sector.

The response from the community? Unanimous: one day wasn’t enough. They asked for more time, more exhibitors, and more international players. The team listened.

So, Who Are These Guys?

The event is run by four partners, two of whom - Saulo and Cassiano - are real-world pilots. They’re backed by a communications and marketing agency that has worked exclusively in the aviation industry for over a decade. For the past few years, they’ve also produced corporate events, giving them a solid foundation when it came time to organize their own.

“I’ve been using flight simulators since the 1990s,” Saulo says. “And now I use them professionally as well - for training, retraining, and keeping sharp.”

The line between real and virtual flight is increasingly blurred in Brazil, and the team is deliberately leaning into that. Many real pilots, including airline professionals, use simulators at home. It’s no surprise then that the expo’s slogan reflects that passion:

“An event designed for those who are so passionate about flying that they fly without even leaving home.”

Building a Bridge Between Real and Virtual Aviation

One of the most impressive aspects of Expo Aviação Virtual is how quickly it has gained legitimacy - not just in the sim world, but also in real-world aviation. That’s largely thanks to Saulo and his team’s existing network in the aviation sector.

“Since I was already involved in the real aviation market, this opened some important doors for us,” he says. “And when you consider how many real pilots use flight simulation at home - especially in Brazil - the connection becomes obvious.”

It’s not just marketing fluff. Several of the country’s flight schools and training organizations have begun paying attention. Azul’s use of VR tools in their initial crew training program was a real statement. But perhaps the most significant milestone came with Embraer - one of the largest aircraft manufacturers in the world - signing on as an official partner.

“When Embraer joined,” Saulo says, “it validated everything we believed about the potential of this community.”

Not Without Obstacles

Of course, building a new expo from scratch in South America isn’t without friction.

“The biggest challenge,” Saulo explains, “was being the first. We had no history, no metrics. Potential exhibitors wanted ROI stats, but we couldn’t give them anything - because it had never been done before.”

Another hurdle has been logistics. Brazil’s distance from key hardware suppliers in the US, Europe, and Asia means international shipping can be expensive and complicated. Taxes are also a long-standing issue, and not one that magically resolves itself with a few emails.

“We’ve been working with customs brokers and even federal representatives to help streamline this,” he says. “We want to make it easier for manufacturers to attend and exhibit. The community is here - we just need to make it easier for others to reach them.”

Not Just Brazil. South America.

While the expo is based in São Paulo, the team’s vision is broader.

“Our goal is not to compete with FSExpo or FSWeekend,” Saulo says. “We admire both and want to be their partner, not their rival.”

Instead, Expo Aviação Virtual is staking its claim as the third pillar of the global sim expo calendar - with a South American focus.

“We're not just thinking about Brazil,” he continues. “Countries like Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Bolivia, and Venezuela - they all have active sim communities too. They just haven’t had a regional stage yet. We want to change that.”

And there's real ambition behind the words. The team attended FSExpo in the US earlier this year, not just to learn - but to advocate on behalf of their community. That’s how we met, and how the conversation about a partnership between Threshold and Expo Aviação Virtual first began.

“We wanted to be spokespersons for the Brazilian sim community,” Saulo explains. “We were warmly received, and a special thanks goes out to Evan from FSExpo for how openly he welcomed us.”

A Flight Path Worth Watching

What started as a local idea has turned into something with the aim of continental reach. Expo Aviação Virtual isn’t just filling a void - it’s creating a space that had been missing in the global flight sim landscape for far too long.

As our niche hobby matures, there will be demand for more venues like this all over the world. I’m curious to see when we’ll witness something similar take shape in Asia. That region, too, is full of passionate simmers - many of whom currently have no regional event to call their own.

We'll be watching closely as the November 2025 edition unfolds, and we’ll be on-site to cover it when it does. Because this isn’t just a regional curiosity anymore. It’s a signal that the sim world is bigger, more diverse, and more passionate than ever.

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