Frequently asked questions & troubleshooting

You can start for free without installing anything or creating an account. Flight controls target an internet-connected PC with Chrome or Edge, WebGL2, a keyboard and mouse.

The home page and guides work on small screens, but dedicated touch-flight controls and mobile flight performance are not provided or guaranteed.

Check that you have selected a departure airport and read any preparation or connection-error message. Check the reason displayed beside an unavailable airport.

Wait if preparation is still running. If an error appears, check map status in Settings and use Reconnect or Reload when offered. You do not need to supply a personal API key.

The airport-selection globe loads separately from detailed flight terrain and the aircraft. A visible globe does not mean departure preparation is complete. A newly visited region can need additional downloads.

If preparation is progressing without errors, allow it to finish. If it remains stuck, check your connection and note terrain, imagery and building status in Settings. If reconnecting does not help, send the airport code and error text. Reloading resets the current flight.

Update and reopen the browser. Check whether graphics acceleration is available in browser settings, and restart the browser after changing it. Check your PC’s graphics driver as well.

Compare with another desktop Chrome or Edge browser to narrow down the cause. A dark nighttime region differs from an error where only the interface remains and the globe disappears. For the latter, send the error, browser version and GPU information.

First select 1×, close the expanded map and choose Settings → Graphics quality → Low. Close other 3D apps and unnecessary tabs. Change one thing at a time to identify what helps.

Resolution, clouds, GPU capability and downloads all affect performance, not just map quality. Low reduces resolution and shadows, so visual differences are possible. The flight pauses when its tab is hidden.

Higher multipliers require more flight calculations and map preparation. If your computer cannot keep up, wall-clock progress can fall short of the selected multiplier. Compare at 1× and 5×.

The speedometer shows aircraft speed in kt; the multiplier is separate. Selecting 100× does not multiply the speedometer reading or make real time and the Sun advance 100 times faster.

Arrow keys, WASD and other flight-control inputs hand control back to you. Use Auto or Space to engage it again.

Looking around with the mouse is different from controlling the aircraft. Use the mouse rather than flight keys when enjoying a window-seat view.

Releasing a control is not a command to level the aircraft. Its attitude and speed continue to affect the flight.

Start with short inputs and watch the response. For sightseeing, engage Auto again at a safe height. Recovery is not guaranteed from extreme attitudes or close to the ground.

During flight, open Settings → Destination and choose an available airport. The departure search and destination list may offer different selections.

Changing the destination rebuilds the approach plan. Choose during cruise where possible; repeated changes near landing make it harder to establish an approach.

It may turn to align with the runway, hold while arrival terrain loads or go around after an unstable approach. Being close to the airport alone does not mean it can land immediately.

Select 1× and check Auto, the destination and map connection status in Settings. If the pattern repeats, report both airports, altitude, speed, multiplier, flight phase and any error. Not every repeated circle should be assumed normal.

Gear is the landing gear; flaps are movable wing surfaces used for takeoff and landing. In this app they affect lift, drag and flight behavior rather than serving as decoration.

Let Auto manage them for your first sightseeing flight. For manual flight, G toggles gear; [ / ] or the Flaps selector changes flap settings. These instructions are not real-world aircraft procedures.

Choose Restart at 10,000 ft to recover above nearby terrain. The camera switches to Chase, and attitude and engine state are reset for recovery.

Auto is off after recovery. Engage it to continue automatically. This does not restore the exact pre-crash moment.

Choose Chase at the bottom right and press R to recenter. Interior views naturally do not show the whole aircraft from outside.

Adjust external distance with the scroll wheel. The map and flight cameras are separate, so close the expanded map before checking the flight view again.

The route-map button on the right opens the minimap. Expand it for a larger map, switch between flat and globe views or return to the current position.

The line ahead of the aircraft is a separate Settings → Route overlay option, off by default. These are routes calculated by the app, not guaranteed official routes for real operations.

Live weather is temporarily disabled. Reloading or entering a personal key cannot enable it; the current scene does not represent actual weather.

Day and night follow real time, while cloud shape, precipitation and wind are separate. Missing weather data is not a clear-sky forecast. Do not use the view alone to determine a city’s actual weather.

A new region can begin at low detail and sharpen as data arrives. Image dates and source resolution differ by region; this is not live satellite video.

Buildings may be sparse where public data is limited. Terrain, imagery and buildings use separate requests, so one can fail while others work. Check connection status in Settings and the Weather & credits guide for coverage limits.

Check the flight’s speaker/mute button, then increase master volume and aircraft sound in Settings. Check browser-tab muting, Windows volume and the selected output device.

If automatic playback is blocked, click the app’s sound button directly. Audio may stop when flight is paused or the tab is hidden. Microphone permission is not needed.

Weather sound is not an always-playing background track. It depends on weather information, flight position and exposure to precipitation. Check the weather sound level in Settings.

Live weather is temporarily disabled. Reloading or entering a personal key cannot enable it; the current scene does not represent actual weather. Silence above clouds or outside precipitation can be intentional.

Switching browser tabs pauses the flight. Select Resume flight or press P after returning.

Real time continues while paused. Day and night still use actual UTC when you resume.

Use the globe icon beside Settings to change language. Language and audio preferences can persist in the same browser. Blocking or clearing storage, or using another device, may remove them.

There is no account-based save-and-resume feature for aircraft position or routes. Reloading resets the flight. The Privacy Policy lists storage entries and provides a way to delete language and audio preferences.