The Intergalactic Aerospace Expo (IAE) is almost here, and to help you get the most from the annual ship show, we've answered some common questions surrounding the event. Read on for everything you need to know about the show, including where to go and how to participate in the upcoming Free Fly event. What is the IAE? The Intergalactic Aerospace Exposition (IAE) is the universe's premier spaceship convention. It provides everyone with the opportunity to see some of Star Citizen's biggest, best, and most iconic ships and ground vehicles up close as different manufacturers take over the halls each day. Plus, almost everything on display is available to test-fly for free! When is the IAE taking place? The IAE takes place from Friday, November 22, through December 5. Each day, a different ship manufacturer takes over the halls of the convention center for 48 hours each. What time does the event start? The IAE opens its gates on November 22 at 16:00 UTC / 8 a.m. Pacific. When does the Free Fly start? The Free Fly starts with the IAE on November 22 at 16:00 UTC / 8 a.m. Pacific. I don't have a Star Citizen game package or in-game spacecraft. How do I travel to microTech for the event? For the duration of the IAE, every account has access to a Drake Cutter ship. After getting started, head to the nearest ASOP ship retrieval terminal to access it. Where does the IAE take place? Where do I have to go? IAE 2954 takes place at the Tobin Expo Center in the city of New Babbage, on the planet microTech. How do I get to the Tobin Expo Center? First, head to the planet microTech. If this is your first visit to the Stanton system, you can choose to spawn at the New Babbage Aspire Grand by selecting it as your primary residence. If you're already a citizen, travel to microTech, Quantum Travel to New Babbage, and then land at the Interstellar Spaceport. From there, take the Metro transit system and get off at the Tobin Expo Center. No matter where you board the train, you'll eventually arrive at the correct stop. How do I rent a ship? In the expo center halls, you'll find ships on display from different manufacturers throughout the event. If you see something you'd like to test fly, walk up to the corresponding ship info panel. The ship will become highlighted, and a prompt will pop up when you look at the info panel. Press and hold the F key to RENT. A notification on the screen will appear upon a successful rental. You can then head to the Space Port or any other ASOP terminal throughout the 'verse. The rented ship will be available for 48 hours. How long can ships be rented? You can rent ships and vehicles as long as they are on display at the IAE. All manufacturers exhibit their crafts for 48 hours. Check the IAE 2954 schedule to see which ships can be viewed and rented on which days. How many vehicles can be rented? You can rent every flyable or drivable vehicle exhibited at the IAE. Each ship or vehicle can be rented once. Which ships will be free to rent during the different manufacturer days? Check the IAE 2954 schedule to see which ships can be viewed and rented on which days. Do I need to have a copy of Star Citizen to visit IAE? No. For the duration of the event, anyone can play Star Citizen for free. All you need to do is visit the Play Now page and follow the instructions. Can I invite a friend? Of course! All they need to do is visit the Play Now page, create an account, and jump into the game. Don't forget that using your referral code during account creation grants them an additional 5,000 UEC. And, if they decide to stay after the Free Fly, you'll earn a referral point towards rewards. Will there be a Spectrum badge to collect this year? Yes! Anyone who visits the expo hall on 5 separate days throughout the event will receive an IAE 2954 Spectrum badge to commemorate this year's event! Which ships get the Best in Show paints? All four ships that made it into the semi-finals of the recent Ship Showdown 2954 event (Anvil F8C Lightning, Crusader C1 Spirit, Anvil Terrapin, Aegis Reclaimer) will receive the limited-edition Best in Show livery as well as their in-game manufacturer poster. These are available to all players with these ships in their hangars. Additionally, the F8C will receive a collectible in-game championship pennant to commemorate the glory of being this year's Ship Showdown champion. If you already have one of these ships, you'll receive the IAE-exclusive paint (and extra items) on the last day of the event at no cost. To be eligible to receive the paints, the ships need to be in your web-hangar (having them in your Buyback List won't grant you the Best in Show paints). If you melt any of the ships before receiving the associated paints, then you will no longer be eligible. Everyone pledging for a Best in Show (BIS) ship during the IAE will receive the paint and items, too. If you don't already have the ship, the vehicles will be bundled with the prizes during the Best in Show days following the 1st of December. Please note that these Best in Show Edition bundles already contain the BIS paints and posters within them and will not grant the standalone versions of those items. The Best in Show ships will also be available to fly for free between December 1 and December 5. Will there be a Best in Show ship pack with the Anvil F8C Lightning? Yes! There will be two BIS ship packs this year. The BIS Complete Pack will include the Anvil F8C Lightning along with the other Ship Showdown 2954 semi-finalists, the Crusader C1 Spirit, Anvil Terrapin, and Aegis Reclaimer. If you have previously redeemed your CDF F8C Certification Pass (or, as many refer to, Gold License) at an in-game rental, you will be able to obtain this BIS Complete Pack. The other BIS Pack will include the C1 Spirit, Terrapin, and Reclaimer without the F8C Lightning. How can I pledge for the Ship Showdown 2954 winner, the F8C Lightning? If you have previously found a CDF F8C Certification Pass (Gold License) in the 'verse and turned it in at an in-game rental kiosk, your account will be eligible to pledge for the F8C Lightning. Please note that the F8C Lightning is still limited to 1 per account, so if you have previously pledged for one, you will not be able to acquire a second. I have previously pledged for an F8C Lightning with 6 months-insurance, but IAE offers typically come with with the special 10-year insurance. Can I upgrade to this extended insurance? Yes! Anyone who currently owns an F8C Lightning with the 6 months-insurance will be badged to see the free upgrade option to 120 months-insurance on the IAE page on Anvil Manufacturer Day (November 30, 2024). If you can't see this upgrade option, don't fret! Some of you will already have been automatically upgraded to the extended insurance, so make sure you're logged into your account and that your insurance hasn't already been bumped up! I have a CDF F8C Certification Pass (Gold License) in my in-game inventory, but I haven't decided whether to pledge for the ship yet. Will I be able to in the future? Great question! Sometimes, certain ships don't really fit in the current lineup of your fleet or gameplay style, but as many of us know, both of these can evolve over time. There may be opportunities to secure an F8C Lightning in the future, but we'd like to remind you that your account needs to be badged to be eligible for any future F8C Lightning offers. This is done by bringing your CDF F8C Certification Pass (Gold License) to an in-game rental kiosk and turning it in there. Please note that the launch of Alpha 4.0 will include a database reset and an inventory wipe. While we are considering bringing back events for players to obtain Gold Licenses in the future, there are no immediate plans at this time. If the Gold License is still in your inventory, we recommend redeeming it at a rental kiosk if you haven't already done so. This will ensure it is properly registered to your RSI account, in case you choose to acquire one later. Will there be Warbond Daily Deals available? Yes. Check back each day throughout the expo to see what's available. Each Warbond Daily Deal will run for 24 hours only. This year’s Finale (December 2, 16:00 UTC - December 5, 20:00 UTC) will include a refresh with new Warbond Offers that will feature only at this time for select manufacturers, replacing the prior daily deal ones. Will there be quantity stock-limited ships? Yes! Each stock-limited ship is limited to one per account and will be available in Warbond and/or Store Credit released in three waves to cover as many global time zones as possible: Wave 1 – 16:00 UTC / 8 a.m. Pacific Wave 2 – 00:00 UTC / 4 p.m. Pacific (the prior day) Wave 3 – 08:00 UTC / 12 a.m. Pacific IAE Day 2 – November 23: Aegis Idris P, Aegis Javelin IAE Day 3 – November 24: MISC Hull E IAE Day 5 – November 26: RSI Constellation Phoenix IAE Day 6 – November 27: Consolidated Outland Pioneer IAE Day 7 – November 28: Drake Kraken, Drake Kraken Privateer IAE Day 8 – November 29: Origin 890 Jump --- Do you have additional questions? Ask them, and we will do our best to answer them. We recommend all newcomers to the 'verse to check out the New Player Guide as it guides you through your first steps into the Persistent Universe.