Fly! (PC)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.9 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Tony Lopez
• Reviewed on: 08/20/1999
• Updated on: 01/12/2001
• Released on: 07/31/1999
• Originally published on GameSpot: Fly! (PC) Review

With Microsoft Flight Simulator, Looking Glass' Flight Unlimited, and Sierra Pro Pilot on the market, do we really need another civilian aviation simulator? Terminal Reality thinks so and makes a largely convincing argument with its premier flight sim, Fly.

The exclamatory title and the boast that this is "the ultimate flight simulator" make it clear that Terminal Reality isn't interested in second place. It aims to take the Microsoft beast head-on, unlike Flight Unlimited whose smaller and more intimate scale lets it avoid direct conflict with Microsoft's sim, which offers unrestricted cross-country flight from airport to airport and fair scenery detail along the way. Flight Simulator doesn't have any real stunt planes or fancy flying maneuvers, but just nice, steady, realistic flight. And that's exactly what Fly does too, and despite some flaws, it does a better job in many ways.

Fly's appeal hinges on two important and remarkable features: its cockpits and its flight model. That pretty much covers everything of importance for the serious flight enthusiast, so the other problems probably won't matter much. Five airplanes are included in the simulation: the Cessna 172R, the Piper Malibu Mirage, the Piper Navajo Chieftain, the Beechcraft King Air B200, and the Raytheon Hawker 800XP jet. Performance on each feels on target, though I can only attest to the accuracy of the humble 172. Stalls, speed bleeding, and the rest of the litany of sim hot points are spot-on in the various aircraft. You'll find that the auto-correcting features of the 800XP accurately limit stupid moves, while the 172 recovers easily. More detail has gone into engine start-up and performance than in any other sim to date.

In fact, they could practically call this game Engine Start-Up Simulator. When set to full realism (and thankfully you can turn this off), you must go through every stage of engine start-up in sequence. An automated start-up sequence can also be used to guide you through the process with little arrows. Engine performance is variable according to aircraft model and is affected by mixture, altitude, and other variables. Sound effects are so precise you can tell from listening when you need to adjust mixture.

The one major problem with the flight model is that none of these planes can be crashed. They just don't crash at all, ever. Run 'em into mountains, ground, water, and they just skip like a stone or bounce and roll over like one of those crazy-wheel remote-control trucks. Not only do they not break up: They take off again. This is just too much. I also found weather modeling inadequate, despite cranking it up to the heaviest levels. I could not force an instrument malfunction either and did not experience any in the course of my flying. Throwing some instrument failures at a pilot is standard operating procedure. They may well be in here somewhere, but I couldn't find them. You should also be able to configure a plane for certain failures to customize a situation, and that option is not offered.

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