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

78 points2 daysinflightsimulator.com

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!

mikeshi421 hour 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!

etatester1 hour ago

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

sdcfgy1 hour ago

Yeah same here.

lejeanvaljean2 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.

aaronbrethorst2 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.

lubujackson2 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.

CamperBob22 hours ago

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

password543212 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.

recursivecaveat2 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.

rkotcher2 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!

sublinear2 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.

flawed_crater2 hours ago

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

jameson2 hours ago

Hrm. I can play it without logging in

freak421 hour ago

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

ryukoposting1 hour ago

Likewise.

groestl1 hour 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!

modinfo1 hour ago

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

thoughtsimple2 hours ago

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

zergrush1 hour ago

really wish i could sit by the window

lateatdesk1 day 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.

darknavi2 hours ago

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

It's small but a beautiful flight!

khazhoux2 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)

orliesaurus2 hours ago

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

fortran772 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.

ivolimmen1 hour ago

I always have warm nuts on a plane...

tony-ay1 day ago

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

rkotcher16 hours ago

Thank you!

d--b2 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

nullify881 hour ago

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

EagnaIonat2 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.

fortran772 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.

rkotcher2 days ago

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

seemaze2 hours ago

no

bartvk2 hours ago

What if they add snakes?