Parents' Guide to

Airplane!

By Chris Morris, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 11+

Easier but less interesting than most flight-simulator apps.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire Free Simulation Games
Airplane! Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Airplane! App: Screenshot #1
  • Airplane! App: Screenshot #2
  • Airplane! App: Screenshot #3

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  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
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What’s It About?

Players won't have to worry about things such as a fuel gauge or keeping the yaw straight in this flight simulator, but they will still have to monitor a few instruments. An accelerator on the left side of the screen is used to control ground and air speed, and a virtual thumbstick on the right controls direction and altitude. Players will have to reach a sufficient speed for takeoff and then navigate to their intended destinations. Landing manually is hard, but players can opt for an autopilot landing -- although they'll only earn half of their pay by doing so. (That money is used to unlock additional planes.)

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say Not yet rated
Kids say (2 ):

Ratcheting down the difficulty of the typical flight simulator would seem to be an effective way of broadening this app's audience. But, rather than focusing on the thrill of flight, AIRPLANE! sucks the fun out of the process, making landings nearly impossible and the actual flights monotonous. The scenery rarely changes, which is particularly noticeable when your flights are thousands of miles -- meaning you'll stare at the screen for several minutes.

That said, the visuals are fairly well done (if not diverse), and, although, players won't get any real knowledge about what it's like to fly a plane, the app could spark real interest.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how flight-simulator apps approximate, but don't duplicate, what it's like to fly a plane. What are some differences you might expect with flying a real plane?

  • If you live near an airport, spend an afternoon watching planes take off and land.

App Details

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