Hi there, What is the importance of the AIRAC? Any help is greatly appreciated. TIA

Aeronautical Information Regulation And Control.  Basically, it's important that everyone is working from the same page on routes, procedures, instrument approach plates, etc.  The AIRAC date for these items in MSFS are updated from time to time, but it doesn't take too long for them to get out of date.

For instance, If you are using Simbrief and Navigraph you can get your flight-planning with the latest charts and procedures, active runways, etc., as you can use the latest AIRAC information for your flight-planning.

With Navigraph, MSFS is also updated so the approaches and proper runways are available.  This doesn't mean that you can't fly IFR if you don't have the means to access/import the latest AIRAC.  It might cause some issues, however, if you were using an online ATC service, though they can probably supply appropriate charts.

Great explanation - and in real world pilots are required to fly with up to date charts and approach plates.  Most airliners and bizjets (and some GA pilots now) have all of this automatically updated using iPad or a efb tablet.

Sometimes a new airac doesn't change very much - or it may change a name of a procedure etc.  It mostly affects RNAV (GPS) but sometimes a VOR will be taken out of service indefinitely and if it serves an instrument approach, that approach would be taken out of the new airac.

They are updated every 28 days.

 

51 minutes ago, ryanbatc said:

Great explanation - and in real world pilots are required to fly with up to date charts and approach plates.  Most airliners and bizjets (and some GA pilots now) have all of this automatically updated using iPad or a efb tablet.

Sometimes a new airac doesn't change very much - or it may change a name of a procedure etc.  It mostly affects RNAV (GPS) but sometimes a VOR will be taken out of service indefinitely and if it serves an instrument approach, that approach would be taken out of the new airac.

They are updated every 28 days.

 

My former airline bought about 11000 iPads more than 10 years ago. 

1 hour ago, Les Parson said:

My former airline bought about 11000 iPads more than 10 years ago. 

I believe it.  My employer has also purchased numerous iPads and I pencils or whatever haha.

2 hours ago, RandallR said:

as you can use the latest AIRAC information for your flight-planning.

& to mention, have a concurrent airac installed in your aircraft's FMS if you plan to use GPS / RNAV procedures of those charts.

To avoid issues like this.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/news-items/2021/closed-runway-take-off

6 hours ago, ptr1959w said:

Hi there, What is the importance of the AIRAC? Any help is greatly appreciated. TIA

Like others said, it is the standardization for all the waypoints and airways in the entire world. If you plan to use real life flight plans, charts for navigation. Having the most current AIRAC installed is imperative for a smooth experience within the sim. If you don’t care about using real charts for navigation or waypoints for flight planning, then having the most current AIRAC isn’t as important in the sim.

Don't forget the downside though. MSFS scenery may be out of date compared with the latest AIRAC, so for example your STAR and Approach may try to take you to a runway which doesn't exist in the scenery. I frequently had this problem when I was in China as part of a round-the-world tour.

17 hours ago, Glenn Fitzpatrick said:

To avoid issues like this.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/media/news-items/2021/closed-runway-take-off

But in fact that was a temporary closure notified by NOTAM, which the pilot didn't bother to check for.
It would not have been changed in an AIRAC update as the holes would have been patched over by then...so up-to-date AIRAC would have made no difference.

1 hour ago, ConstVoid said:

Don't forget the downside though. MSFS scenery may be out of date compared with the latest AIRAC, so for example your STAR and Approach may try to take you to a runway which doesn't exist in the scenery. I frequently had this problem when I was in China as part of a round-the-world tour.

Nowhere near the same scale as with P3D though. MSFS is pretty good on the included airports, but yes, tons are missing in China, and some will show in the navdata but just be empty fields. I've been told not to expect a fix for that (China, anyways).

1 hour ago, ConstVoid said:

Don't forget the downside though. MSFS scenery may be out of date compared with the latest AIRAC, so for example your STAR and Approach may try to take you to a runway which doesn't exist in the scenery. I frequently had this problem when I was in China as part of a round-the-world tour.

Excellent point.  I think far more important is to have everything match the scenery and once that is established there is little need to update the AIRAC cycle unless you wish to risk mismatch.

1 hour ago, mspencer said:

Nowhere near the same scale as with P3D though. MSFS is pretty good on the included airports, but yes, tons are missing in China, and some will show in the navdata but just be empty fields. I've been told not to expect a fix for that (China, anyways).

If a runway, or even airport, is missing in FS2020 you can still create it yourself using the SDK and the built-in development tools.

This is why I love using Avliasoft EFB. It loads the Airac if you subscribe, but it also takes an inventory of all the airports that are actually in the sim, even if you add some. If you try to file a flightplan, it won't let you do it, if the airport doesn't exist in the sim.  

7 minutes ago, rjquick said:

If a runway, or even airport, is missing in FS2020 you can still create it yourself using the SDK and the built-in development tools.

Well, yeah, but there are many airports in China with limited/no info available, and even more that are in the sim, but Navigraph has no licensed data for them, because Jepp doesn't carry the airport (or if they do, it's in a supplement).

Basically no sim has had a solution to this, it's mainly an issue in China and parts of Africa, probably some of Central Asia as well.