Aerofly FS Global

Review by eFreeware

Aerofly FS Global is a flight simulator for Android from Aerofly FS (IPACS), priced at $3.99 with no ads. It puts a spread of aircraft types into one app, from an Airbus A320 and a Dash 8-Q400 to a Cessna 172, an F-15E Strike Eagle and a biplane, and it leans toward systems and procedures rather than arcade flying. The main reason to consider it is that combination: a paid, ad-free simulator with interactive cockpits and a route into worldwide scenery if you want it.

I'd think of it as a sim for someone who wants to learn how an aircraft behaves and how its cockpit works, not just to bank around a city skyline. The app aims for realism on a par with PC simulators, and its feature set supports that goal with flight management systems, instrument navigation and engine simulation. If that sounds like the kind of flying you want on a phone or tablet, this is built for it.

Eight aircraft, a west coast map, and a lot more behind them

The base app includes eight aircraft: the Airbus A320, Dash 8-Q400, Learjet 45, Cessna 172, Baron 58, Aermacchi MB339, F-15E Strike Eagle and a Jungmeister biplane. That is a deliberate spread across airliner, business jet, trainer, aerobatic and warbird flying, so you can move between very different handling styles. The bundled scenery spans Northern California, from the Sacramento area to Monterey, and includes custom airports around San Francisco Bay.

Beyond that, the developer sells 25 more aircraft as in-app purchases, covering airliners such as the A380, 747-400 and Concorde, the F/A-18C Hornet, three helicopters, warbirds including the Sopwith Camel and Fokker Dr.I, and four gliders. A prepaid subscription adds global streaming: worldwide high-resolution imagery and elevation, night lighting, more than 2,000 handmade airports and over 6,000 global airports, plus a large catalog of missions. That subscription is the big fork in the road, and it is worth understanding before you buy rather than after.

What a flight actually looks like

A typical session starts with a choice: where you fly and what you fly. You can begin in a cold and dark cockpit and run the engine start yourself, or jump straight to a later stage of the flight, which suits a short session. The location map allows near-instant repositioning, so you can move to a different airport without rebuilding a whole flight.

Once moving, the simulation covers the parts that matter: landing gear physics with a center of gravity that shifts as the gear retracts, wing flex that is simulated rather than animated, independent flight control actuators and surfaces, and thermodynamic engine modeling. Autopilot and flight-management systems are included, and instrument navigation covers ILS, NDB, VOR and TCN. A simulated copilot can assist if you would rather not manage everything alone, and air traffic simulation can be shown with flight paths and labels.

Weather and time are yours to set. You can adjust the time of day, configure clouds, and change wind speed, thermals and turbulence, which matters if you want to practice crosswind landings or glider work. Camera options run from cockpit and passenger views to external, tower and fly-by angles, and optional labels can mark mountains, lakes and cities so you know what you are looking at. Glider pilots get a winch and aerotow, and pushback is there for the airliners.

The reasons to come back after the first flight

Progress is tracked through flight records, achievements, a career mode and saved routes, which gives a reason to keep flying beyond the novelty of a new aircraft. Instant replay lets you review a flight and, if you want, resume from that recorded state. Two features stand out for anyone learning: you can rewind and retry after a crash, and you can jump ahead along a route instead of sitting through the whole cruise.

The developer keeps adding to the simulation. The most recent update brought an updated global navigation database with new airways and approaches, an updated airport database, an enhanced navigation menu and planning tools, more than 100 new or updated airports and landmarks, fixes across the aircraft, and new liveries for the A320. For a sim, that kind of maintenance is what keeps the map and the procedures current.

What it costs, and what it asks of your device

The app costs $3.99 and contains no ads. In-app purchases are offered, including 25 additional aircraft and a prepaid subscription for global scenery streaming with worldwide imagery, night lighting, the airport count and the mission catalog. Those are the paid extras; the eight aircraft and the west coast region are what the base price covers.

There is also a setup step that is easy to miss. After downloading from Google Play, the app still has to pull in extra content before you can fly, and a WiFi connection and at least 8 GB of free storage are required. Plan for that before you buy, because it is a real constraint on a phone that is already full.

Some visual features are only available on selected and powerful devices: global 3D buildings and objects, dynamic aircraft lights, and landing and exterior lights that illuminate the ground. The app has a 4.2 average from 4,382 ratings, with more than 100,000 installs, and it was released on December 5, 2023.

A sim that rewards patience more than reflex

The realistic side of Aerofly FS Global is also the demanding side. Flight management systems, fly-by-wire behavior, engine thermodynamics and instrument navigation are all here, and they take time to understand. The optional copilot and the preset configurations soften that considerably, letting you start at the gate, on the runway or on approach instead of at the beginning of a checklist. Still, this is a sim where the satisfaction comes from doing a procedure correctly, and that is a different pleasure from a game that rewards fast reactions.

The aircraft lineup reflects that too. An A320 and a 747 ask you to manage systems and follow procedures; a Jungmeister or an Extra 330LX asks for smooth hands; gliders ask you to read thermals. Having all of those in one app means the same purchase can serve several moods, provided you are willing to spend the time learning each type.

A strong choice for patient, procedure-minded pilots

If you want a mobile flight simulator that takes aircraft systems seriously, this is a well-stocked one. Eight aircraft across very different categories, detailed interactive cockpits, instrument navigation, configurable weather and a west coast region with custom airports are a lot for $3.99. The subscription for worldwide scenery and the 25 aircraft sold separately are there if you want to expand, but the base app stands on its own.

The people most likely to get value from it are those who enjoy checklists, approach plates and engine starts, and who do not mind a data download and 8 GB of free space before the first flight. If your idea of flying on a phone is quick, forgiving and arcade-like, the depth here will feel like work rather than play. For everyone else, it is an easy recommendation at this price.

What's new in version 01.07.01.20

+ Updated global navigation database with new airways, updated approaches + Updated global airport database + Enhanced navigation menu + Enhanced navigation planning + Over 100 new and updated airports and points of interest + Many enhancements and fixes for all aircraft + Numerous new liveries for the A320