Aerofly 1 is a Flight Simulator for Android that offers up some of the best flying experiences that an Android fan can have. Built using high-quality 3D assets of not just the outside of the many planes on offer, but of the inside and the surrounding areas, Aerofly 1 is a demanding yet detailed simulator. Rather than an Arcade-style game, Aerofly 1 is a detailed flight simulator that those looking to get the technical details of flights right above all else. Aerofly 1 takes place in and around Switzerland, giving keen flyers high mountains and snowy terrain to navigate. With over 30 airports – and their 3D buildings – 16 different aircraft (two unlocked for free) along with all the realistic flying physics and ability to change all manner of rudder and throttle settings Aerofly 1 is a great option for budding simulator fans on the move.
Taking to the air with Aerofly 1 starts by downloading the game from the Play Store and then launching the app.
The main menu is fairly straightforward here and there are a number of things that you can change here as well if you’d like. Choosing your location will be an important choice for simulator fans, and you can do just that using an interactive map of the region.
You can easily zoom in and get a better look at things as well, giving you an idea of what the surrounding region near each airport is like.
You can change the weather conditions a little bit as well.
Choosing a plane is also a big deal as well, and as Aerofly 1 is a free game, you get two planes for free, the Cessna C172 SP and Pitts Biplane.
More planes can be unlocked for a small fee if you’d like as well, ranging from large passenger planes to slick and speedy military jets.
Once you hit the runway, you can go ahead and take to the skies. One thing that should be noted however, is that there’s not much of an introduction on how to fly in Aerofly 1. Your device’s gyroscope serves as the “stick” found in an airplane, and you need to access and change different menus to get to things like the throttle and other mechanical things on the plane.
Here we can see I’m on the runway about to take off, and while I’m using the default view here, I can swap to one of the many other views if I’d like, including a look inside of the cockpit.
When in the air, you can change certain things to adjust your flight, and of course the tilting of your smartphone will handle your direction.
Crashing is, while of course unadvisable, it is part of trial and error and thankfully there’s a decent damage model here as well.
This is just a small taste of what Aerofly 1 has to offer, and is the sort of thing you’ll get in the free game. However, should you want to purchase new planes to fly in and such, you can do so and then take to the skies in such iconic planes from the likes of British Airways.
For those looking for excitement in a flight sim, they can take off in a fighter jet:
The depth and breadth of the included planes here in Aerofly 1 is nothing short of extraordinary, which is to be expected considering the 1.2GB file size. Even the Pitts Biplane that’s included for free looks excellent on the inside:
Aerofly 1 might not be the game that Aerofly 2 is, but to say this is a free game is incredible. Sure, the free version only comes with two planes, but to give you a taste of what it’s like to fly such devices no matter where you are or what you’re doing for free is a pretty powerful thing. I did find the gyroscopic controls a little touchy and hard to master, but that won’t be the same for everyone, and I think that there’s a lot to be loved from this free game. The extra planes aren’t exactly cheap add-ons, but each plane is so wonderfully rendered inside and out that they’re a real treat to pilot and just to look at. Plus, there’s a lot of contrast on offer here as well, from small and speedy Learjets to big Boeing passenger planes. Then there’s the wonderful Switzerland scenery which looks great and gives pilots something nice to look at while trying to carefully adjust things as they take to the skies.
Ratings
- Speed (4/5) – Aerofly 1 will run fairly well if you have a decent processor on your phone, anything from the past two years should work if it’s a higher-end device.
- Theme (5/5) – This is packed full of good-looking planes and some excellent scenery, the attention to detail here is what really sets this apart from the rest.
- Features (4.5/5) – The inclusion of just two planes does feel limited, but this is a free game. I would have liked a tutorial for new pilots, but for a simulator, and simulator fans Aerofly 1 gets the job done handsomely.
- Overall (4.5/5) – One of the best free flight simulators out there, Aerofly 1 comes from a respected software development team and really looks the part above everything else.
Pros
- Excellent graphics both on the outside of the planes and on the inside, the attention to small details everywhere is excellent.
- Good amount of controls and different settings that flight sim fans will be familiar with, and be expecting.
- The Switzerland scenery looks great and with over 30 airports to choose from, there’s a lot on offer here.
- Completely free to download and play without ads, you only pay to unlock more content if you want it.
Cons
- White icon boxes for controls are sometimes hard to see when up in the sky or in the white mountains.
- Interactive tutorial would be nice, as new players will be left in the dark here a little.
Aerofly 1 is an excellent flight simulator, and while some will be a annoyed at the lack of a tutorial, this free game gives players a taste of what IPACS is good at. It’s free, with no ads and it runs great on decent smartphones from the past year or so. With so much on offer here, it’s a no-brainer to give Aerofly 1 a try.