How to Fly

Aviator keeps the controls arcade-simple: your mouse is the control stick, two keys manage engine power, and almost everything else is a single tap. If you can point and click, you can fly — the depth comes from learning to do it well.

Start with the throttle. Hold W (or ↑) to wind the engine up and watch your airspeed climb on the HUD. As speed builds the wings start to bite; ease the mouse gently back and the nose lifts off the runway into a steady climb. Don't yank it — a little back-pressure is plenty. Once you're safely above the ground, relax the stick toward centre and let the aircraft settle into level flight.

Think of the mouse as a stick you're holding lightly. Push forward to drop the nose and dive, pull back to raise it and climb, and move left or right to bank into a turn. Your inputs are gentle around the centre of the screen and strongest near the edges, so small, smooth movements keep you steady while big sweeps throw the aircraft around. Let go and it eases back toward level on its own.

Power and speed are your lifeblood. The throttle sets how hard the engine pulls; airspeed is what actually keeps you in the air. Keep the power up and the nose near the horizon and you'll never be short of either. If you've fitted a nitro boost, hold Shift for a burst of extra speed to climb fast or close a gap.

Turning is a bank, not a wrench of the tail. Roll into the turn with A / D or the mouse and you'll feel the nose want to drop as you bank — feed in a touch of back-pressure to hold your height around the corner, then roll level to roll out. Smooth, coordinated turns look good and cost you the least speed.

The one thing an aircraft won't forgive is running out of speed with the nose high. If the airspeed sags and the controls go mushy, that's an approaching stall: lower the nose toward the horizon, add power, and let the speed rebuild before you climb again. A level aircraft with airspeed simply does not fall out of the sky.

Coming back down is takeoff in reverse. Ease the throttle back, let the nose settle into a shallow descent, and line yourself up with the runway from a mile or two out. Trade height for a steady, unhurried approach; just before the wheels touch, level off and let it settle onto the tarmac, then roll out. That's a completed flight — and a paid one.

You're never on your own up there. Tap Z for autopilot to level the wings and hold your pitch while you plan; open the map with M to see where you are and where the work is; and cycle the camera with C to find the view you like. When you're ready to show off, Q and E roll the aircraft through full barrel rolls without changing course.