How to play Flappy Pilot

Your aircraft is always sinking: tap the screen, click, or press Space (or ↑) to climb. Fly through the gaps between the thunderstorms above and the control towers and skyscrapers below — every gap you clear is a point. The air gets busier the further you go: the gaps narrow, the speed rises, and the day turns to sunset and night. Hit a storm, a tower or the runway and it’s MAYDAY.

Fuel

Your aircraft burns fuel as it flies — watch the gauge at the top left. Every few columns a glowing red fuel can floats in the open air between them: fly through it to fill up. Miss one and you’ll still make the next; miss two and your engine stops and you glide down — unless you can glide into a fuel can and restart it.

Choose your aircraft

Every flight starts in the hangar. Everyone can fly the airliner, the fighter jet and the rescue helicopter; Premium members also get Concorde, the Jumbo Jet, a seaplane, a vintage biplane, a tiltrotor and the Space Shuttle. They all handle the same, so every score is a fair score — pick the one you love.

Pilot ranks

Score 5 to become a Private Pilot, 10 for First Officer, 20 for Captain, 40 for Chief Pilot and 80 for Ace of the Skies. Your best score is kept on your device — share it and challenge your friends, or post it on ATC Square.

The leaderboard

Sign in (it’s free) before you take off and every flight counts: your best score goes on the weekly leaderboard, which starts again every Monday, and on the all-time board. Tap a name to see that pilot’s profile on ATC Square.

Like flying? Try controlling

Flappy Pilot is the fun side of the ATC Radar Simulator, where you sit on the other side of the radio: vector real arrivals onto the ILS at airports such as London Heathrow, Dubai, Toronto and Sydney, and keep every flight safely separated. New to air traffic control? Start with the guide or make your own ATC card.