Career Mode Guide

Overview

Career Mode transforms your flight simulation experience into a realistic pilot career progression. Start as a First Officer at a regional airline, earn your stripes, get promoted, and eventually fly for premium international carriers.

How It Works

1. Choose a Starter Airline - Pick your first airline and base airport
2. Fly Schedules - Generate and complete flight assignments
3. Earn Hours & Money - Build experience and get paid weekly
4. Get Promoted - Move up from First Officer to Captain
5. Change Airlines - Apply to better airlines as you gain experience

Getting Started

Choosing Your First Airline

When you start Career Mode, you'll choose from several Starter Airlines. Each airline offers different aircraft, bases, and routes. Consider:

• Aircraft Type - Do you prefer Airbus or Boeing?
• Base Location - Where do you want to be based?
• Route Network - Domestic, European, or mixed?

Your Starting Position

Everyone starts as a First Officer (FO). You'll fly right-seat, earn entry-level pay, and begin building hours toward your first promotion.

Career Progression

Airline Tiers

Airlines are organized into four tiers, each with different requirements, pay scales, and prestige:

Position Ranks

Within each airline, you progress through four ranks based on hours flown at that airline:

Aircraft & Type Ratings

Aircraft Families

Type ratings are earned per aircraft family, not individual variants. For example, an "A320 Family" rating covers:

• A319, A320, A321
• A319neo, A320neo, A321neo

This means one rating lets you fly multiple aircraft variants!

Earning Type Ratings

• Starter Airline - Free rating for their primary aircraft
• Training Center - Purchase additional ratings (training takes 5-7 days)
• Current Airline Discount - 40% off ratings for aircraft your airline operates

Schedule Generation

Creating Your Schedule

Use the Schedule Generator to create flight assignments. You can customize:

• Number of Legs - 1 to 6 flights per schedule
• Aircraft Filter - Choose specific aircraft or "Any"
• Schedule Type - Different routing patterns

Schedule Types

Financial System

How Pay Works

You earn money for each completed flight based on:

• Flight Duration - Longer flights = more pay
• Airline Tier - Higher tiers pay better base rates
• Your Position - Captains earn more than FOs
• Special Bonuses - Standby, Open Time multipliers

Weekly Payday

Paychecks are deposited every Friday at 0000 UTC. Your earnings accumulate throughout the week and are paid out automatically.

Your Bank Balance

Your career bank tracks all earnings. Use it to:

• Purchase type ratings at the Training Center
• Pay base relocation fees ($5,000)
• Cover early contract exit penalties ($5,000)

Tracking Your Stats

The sidebar displays two stats sections:

• Career Stats - Your lifetime totals: hours, flights, average landing, airlines flown, and total earnings from all airlines
• Current Airline Stats - Stats at your current employer: hours, flights, and earnings (paid only, not pending)

Special Features

Finding New Opportunities

There are two ways to advance your career - internal opportunities at your current airline, and external applications to other airlines.

Job Offers (Internal)

The Job Offers section shows opportunities from your current airline:

• Promotions - Move up in rank (FO → Senior FO → Captain → Senior Captain) based on your airline hours
• Internal Transfers - If you have a type rating for another aircraft your airline operates, there's a 15% daily chance they'll offer you a position on that fleet

Apply to Airlines (External)

The Apply to Airlines section lets you apply to other airlines. Unlike internal job offers, other airlines won't come to you - you have to seek them out!

Contract Phases

When you join an airline, you sign a 21-30 day contract. Your ability to apply elsewhere depends on where you are in that contract:

Progressive Tier Unlock

As you build flight hours, higher-tier airlines gradually become available to you:

Hour Requirements Per Job

Each job listing has minimum hour requirements based on the tier difference:

• Same tier or lower: 50 hours minimum
• +1 tier above current: 150 hours minimum
• +2 tiers above: 300 hours minimum
• +3 tiers above: 450 hours minimum

Type Rating Requirement

You must have the type rating for the aircraft the airline is offering. If you don't have it, visit the Training Center first to purchase the rating (5-7 day training period).

Job Refresh Cycle

The available job listings rotate on their own individual 84-hour cycles (~3.5 days). You'll see 2-5 positions at a time, and new opportunities appear as old ones cycle out.

Fatigue System

Just like real pilots, you need to manage your fatigue levels. Flying adds fatigue, while time away from the cockpit lets you recover naturally.

How Fatigue Works

• Flying adds fatigue: +5% per flight hour
• Rest recovers fatigue: -4% per real hour when not flying
• Continuous tracking: Fatigue persists between sessions

Fatigue Levels

Example

• You fly a 2-hour flight → fatigue goes from 0% to 10%
• You take a 3-hour break → fatigue drops from 10% to 0%
• You fly 10am-12pm, rest until 2pm, then fly 2pm-4pm → you only recover during the 2-hour rest period, not while flying
• At 85% fatigue, you can't start new flights until you rest

Recovery Options

Training Center

Purchasing Type Ratings

The Training Center lets you unlock new aircraft families. Each rating requires:

• Payment - Varies by aircraft (40% discount for current airline fleet)
• Training Time - 5-7 days to complete certification

Training in Progress

While training, you can still fly your existing aircraft. Once training completes, the new rating is added to your qualifications and you can bid for that aircraft or generate schedules with it.