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Show HN: I made a flight simulator, except you're just a passenger

102 points by rkotcher 2 days ago | 49 comments

Buckle your seatbelt, secure your tray table, and open your window shade. Now you can simulate flying anywhere in the world as a commercial passenger, from takeoff to touchdown. Terrain, weather, and realtime sun position included. Don't worry, the latest release now features legs, so you can get up and go to the bathroom on longer flights. Enjoy!

drayfield 13 minutes ago

Or you could check out the non-vibe coded Airplane Mode from 2020:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/931310/Airplane_Mode/

GreyMolecules 22 minutes ago

Hahaha this is awesome. I can teach what it's like to be on an airplane to my friend who has never flown before.

Currently playing on my usual route, ICN -> HKG. The flight path is too ideal. Due to airspace restrictions in china, almost every flight has to divert over taiwan in real life, but this one cuts thru mainland china.

etatester 49 minutes ago

Crashed within 10 seconds on iPhone 17 Pro. Love the vibes

gizajob 4 minutes ago

Looks amazing for the 2 seconds before it implodes on iPhone though.

djmips 26 minutes ago

ahhh your phone crashed! I was a bit confused for a moment... Could you imagine if the airplane crashed like 1 in every million plays?! :O

sdcfgy 47 minutes ago

Yeah same here.

lejeanvaljean 2 days ago

You know what? I had fear of flying. I did a training with a pilot in a simulator, but it was in the cockpit. I don't have fear of flying in a simulator or in the cockpit. I have fear of flying as a passenger, I'm sit in a chair. That's what I would have liked during my training. I told that to Air France and they did not understand but this might seriously be useful.

lubujackson 2 hours ago

Also useful for people who want to ride along with someone currently on a plane. "Honey, you are over Kansas right now!"

Useless things tend to be deeply useful to a select few.

I am loving this "re-weirding" of the internet. For the younglings, this is very much the sort of pet project that would bubble up in early internet days. No startup raising money, no pain point necessarily being solved, just one person's idea lovingly rendered to life.

CamperBob2 2 hours ago

Don't try to build something for everyone, build something that's everything to someone. - paraphrasing Ferry Porsche

aaronbrethorst 2 hours ago

UAL used to let you listen into the cockpit to ATC chatter: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17656352 — I understand this was really helpful for calming some passengers' nerves during flying.

ryukoposting 37 minutes ago

I really appreciate it when I get a pilot that actually tells us wtf is going on.

password54321 2 days ago

I don't think you can completely eliminate this as people naturally don't like giving up their agency which is usually going to produce at least a low level of anxiety.

recursivecaveat 2 hours ago

Agency and information in a way. I actually feel safer in a tiny 4 seater plane than a jet, even though objectively that's probably backwards. Being able to look at all the parts of the plane, how the movements derive from the pilot's actions, actually see out the front, it is more reassuring. More similar to being a passenger in someone's car. It probably doesn't hurt that it is easier for my mind to imagine a Cessna gliding gently to earth than a passenger jet.

rkotcher 2 days ago

Interesting, thanks for the idea. Would be pretty cool if this app did have some real-world applications, beyond being a bit of a meme app. Thanks for the comment!

sublinear 2 hours ago

This is going to sound insane, but something like this for the backseats of various common, and maybe even exotic, cars would be cool too.

I have similar problems being a passenger in an uber for more than 15 mins. I lose my mind on roadtrips when it's not my turn to drive.

mikeshi42 39 minutes ago

3 overhead reading lights for a 2-2 configuration? On a trans pacific flight? Literally unplayable.

Would love to see this open source and extended!

kinduff 15 minutes ago

I asked for beef, they only had chicken. 10/10, average flight experience.

flawed_crater 2 hours ago

Please remove the login screen. Is love to try this.

jameson 2 hours ago

Hrm. I can play it without logging in

freak42 2 hours ago

I can't it covers half of my mobile screen and it doesn't seem dismissible.

SparkyMcUnicorn 18 minutes ago

It's almost comical how annoying it is. I just want to try it.

ryukoposting 40 minutes ago

Likewise.

wafflemaker 37 minutes ago

Had to use uBlockOrigin to remove the login prompt. Think there could be a way to dismiss it without tricks like that.

ffsm8 18 minutes ago

I just closed the window instead, it wasn't that interesting

thoughtsimple 2 hours ago

Seems to hate not having location access on iOS. Keeps refreshing until eventually Safari just gives up.

ironhaven 31 minutes ago

I was hoping for a very detailed menu with more flight avionics in the in flight entertainment screen but I guess the speed and altitude in the HUD is all I get. I want to know the exact plane T am flying in

tnolet 19 minutes ago

Is this visual style Fable or Astra. I see it everywhere now. It’s the new black and purple

zhaoziyuan2000 17 minutes ago

This is really cool! Also, my girlfriend suggested it would be nice if she can login and be on the same flight so we can fly home together.

noufalibrahim 33 minutes ago

It's very nicely done. I snapped the seatbelt on and that dread of a long boring flight automatically hit me. :)

lateatdesk 2 days ago

I like how much work you've put into just being a passenger :) I'm building a little world in the browser myself, so I like finding projects like this.

modinfo 51 minutes ago

I love that this is in real time and this jokes :D Even we have chess game :3

khazhoux 2 hours ago

Genius doesn’t always look like you expect it will. Well done!

(Kill the login panel though —- it wouldn’t go away for me)

darknavi 2 hours ago

Missing FCA (Glacier international airport in Kalispell, Montana, USA).

It's small but a beautiful flight!

groestl 44 minutes ago

Next up: Airport Simulator! Enjoy security, customs, and the inevitable panic of missing your gate across more than 50 international airports around the world!

orliesaurus 2 hours ago

Flying to NYC, sitting next to nobody, never happened to me before :) - see you in 4h

zergrush 43 minutes ago

really wish i could sit by the window

nader 33 minutes ago

haha this is fun!

fortran77 2 hours ago

I'd pay $1 to upgrade to first class. $2 if I get a hot towel, a pre-departure beverage, and warm nuts.

ivolimmen 53 minutes ago

I always have warm nuts on a plane...

tony-ay 2 days ago

Pretty cool! I could see leaving it up on another screen to enjoy while I go about my workday.

Ballas 20 minutes ago

Finally, a use for a second screen!

rkotcher 16 hours ago

Thank you!

d--b 2 days ago

Nice.

Waiting eagerly for the "crying baby" extension pack. The "get to your seat" MMO. And the "I want to pee, but the guy next to me is sleeping" campaign.

Also, inflightsimulator: 1980, with ashtrays and lethal weapon playing on dropdown TV sets

EagnaIonat 2 hours ago

Or the passenger who is friendly and wants your window seat, but doesn't want to straight out say it. Then turns deranged when they find out they are in the middle seat for the whole flight.

nullify88 58 minutes ago

The Boeing extension pack and watch how the plane deteriorates in the air in real time! Door plugs, MCAS, the works!

rkotcher 2 days ago

Thanks for playing! I'll be sure to consider so of those for the next release!

fortran77 2 hours ago

What a great idea! How about, a kid behind kicking your chair, the person in front of you abruptly putting his seat back all the way, and a person of size next to you spilling into your seat.

seemaze 2 hours ago

bartvk 2 hours ago

What if they add snakes?