I’d like to raise a question I have regarding ground operations downtime. I understand that this limitation is mostly a SimFly criterion intended to reduce flight frequency, similar to the current approach with licenses.
However, looking at it from a more realistic standpoint: is it really necessary to restrict the ground time of a Cessna after a short flight? In real life, if I want to spend a Sunday flying and I do three short flights of about an hour each, I’m under no obligation to keep the aircraft grounded, under inspection, or on a preventive rest period…
As the owner of my own asset, I’d like to be able to fly short hops (or longer ones) with a maximum mandatory downtime of, say, 30 minutes for the standard pre-flight check. Then I could take off again for the return leg. That approach, from an owner’s point of view — especially considering that there’s usually a license assigned to the aircraft that needs to move from airport to airport — would make more sense and allow for greater flexibility.
Let’s imagine, for example, that in the future we (SimFly) have Missions that involve providing services with a Cessna. If I need to transport people or goods during a short one-day route, it would be completely normal to return to my home airport the same day, without having to delay that flight by several hours.
In other words, I understand that we want to avoid flooding the skies with excessive flights to reduce PAX earnings, but maybe in this case the limitation is a bit too strict.
What do the rest of you think? Even in higher aircraft categories, real-life operations don’t restrict this kind of activity, and they certainly allow you to get back home to sleep!
I actually agree with you that the current downtime rule might feel too restrictive, especially for small aircraft like a Cessna doing short flights. A mandatory 30-minute ground pause sounds like a fair compromise — enough to simulate pre-flight checks or rest — without breaking the flow of realistic GA operations.
Maybe this rule could be limited to two flights in a row, with 30-minute pauses in between, before a longer cooldown is enforced? That way we avoid excessive hopping abuse, but still allow flexibility for owners and realistic mission scenarios.
I totally agree with the folks! From my point of view it should be reconsidered by the devs without exceptions.
An “airplane” like the A320 could cost you $288 in Simfly…
At the moment, we already have license timers (24h and 84h in level 1) that limit how much we can fly and when we earn PAX. Adding another time-based restriction tied to aircraft ownership feels excessive and could seriously impact the player experience.
Please consider rethinking or at least refining the Ground Operations system so it doesn’t negatively impact aircraft owners who are already operating within the current rules.
As announced on a video if I recall correctly, maintenance ground operations will be modified as per aircraft category. Obviously the greater the plane, grater the maintenance time, GA airplane are many times involved in short flights, school and so on, liners not so often and checks need time at every landing..
By the way, we can discuss on what we would like, if a basic average stop time after every landing, or more as in real life , A B C check times ?
And also think that not always pilots use the same aircraft (icao) when return “home”, the crew takes another plane. It depends by many factors, in real life.
Hi Falcon,
The system was designed with gamification principles and internal economic balancing in mind, rather than to strictly replicate real-world ground operation timings.
The ground downtime mechanic helps regulate PAX circulation, encourages aircraft rentals, and supports progression systems such as upgrades and asset value growth within the marketplace. For example, higher-level aircraft benefit from shorter ground times, providing a real operational and commercial advantage.
Importantly, while your own aircraft may be grounded for a set period, you can still engage in other activities — such as airplane rental missions or future mission types involving different assets. This ensures a more dynamic and varied experience without forcing players into idle time.
In short, while the logic is inspired by real aviation dynamics, the actual numbers were carefully calibrated to serve SimFly’s internal economy, promote asset progression, and keep gameplay dynamic and engaging.
Thanks for the explanation — I totally understand the reasoning behind applying real-life aircraft maintenance logic like A, B, C checks, and it’s clear that many aspects of SimFly are inspired by real aviation standards, which is great.
That said, I personally believe there needs to be a healthy balance between realism and playability. Many of us are here because this is our hobby — we enjoy simulating flights, owning aircraft, and progressing through licenses, but we also have limited time. Adding too many realistic layers like mandatory ground downtime after every landing could start to feel more like a chore than an enjoyable experience.
I’m all for maintenance systems and deeper mechanics, but I think it should be flexible depending on how each player wants to engage with the game. Otherwise, we risk creating barriers for casual players or those who simply want to enjoy their aircraft without additional wait timers stacked on top of the existing license system.
Just sharing my honest thoughts — I love where SimFly is heading, but I hope the team keeps both sides of the community in mind.
got it. I think also that when all the simfly features will be available, there could also be different maintenance logic applied to different tasks, such as unrestricted could have different maintanance time from scheduled or other missions available.
Absolutely — we always take your feedback seriously and truly appreciate the valuable suggestions you share. That said, it’s understandable that some of the internal logic behind SimFly’s systems and the reasons behind certain decisions may not always be immediately clear.
That’s exactly why I make a point of explaining the “why” behind certain choices (as I also did in my response to Falcon). Understanding the context and rationale behind specific mechanics and values helps everyone better grasp the bigger picture of how SimFly works.
Once we’ve shared this background, we’re of course open to further feedback from the community. Internally, we’ll always evaluate possible adjustments — doing our best to maintain the overall balance of the system while finding solutions that are fair and sustainable for everyone.
That said, in some cases it’s not easy to make changes, especially when certain choices are the result of in-depth analysis based on real data, such as the number of active users and the overall circulation of PAX on SimFly.
I’d also like to point out that we’ve already adjusted ground operation times in the past thanks to your input — originally they were fixed and didn’t take flight distance into account, but we updated that based on your feedback.
I’d also like to point out that while a change that shortens all ground operation times might initially seem very convenient, it’s important to always consider the broader implications.
For example, such a change could directly affect the value of leveled-up aircraft listed in the user marketplace. A new user with a level 1 aircraft and shorter ground time might simply wait 30 minutes and fly again with their own plane, instead of engaging in airplane rental missions or exploring other opportunities — reducing both demand and incentive for others to rent out their assets.
There are many interconnected aspects to take into account. These mechanics aren’t designed just to balance SimFly’s economy, but also to protect and enhance the long-term value of your assets and the overall experience for all users.
I recently purchased a higher Cat Aircraft and noticed after every 2 hour flight is at least 22-26 hour hold on AC. I agree that is a bit long since real world aircraft normally do multiple turn arounds in a single day. I hope this gets shortened or the interval for Maint is changed so the frequency is not as often. Thanks.
