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How to Play

Open skyroute.kluthstudios.com and you arrive at the flight setup screen. Work through it top to bottom, start the flight, and you are sitting on the runway. Here is the whole loop, from setup to touchdown.

The flight setup screen​

1. Aircraft​

Two choices: the SL-9 Skylark, a slow and forgiving piston trainer, and the SwiftJet 100, a fast regional twin-jet that punishes sloppy descents. Learning? Take the Skylark. The full case for each is in Aircraft and Regions.

2. Region​

Four regions, each with its own scenery and its own trap: Verdant Coast, Amber Mesa, Granite Range, and Azure Atoll.

3. Route direction​

Each region is an airport pair, and you pick which way to fly it. On the Verdant Coast, for example, that pair is Meridian Intl (MER) and Skyhaven Regional (SKY).

4. Weather​

Eight options: Clear, Scattered, Cloudy, Overcast, Foggy, Rain, Stormy, and Crosswind. Clear is a sightseeing flight; Foggy hides the runway until late; Crosswind makes the landing itself the boss fight.

5. Time of day​

Day, Sunset, or Night. Sunset is the pretty one. Night is the honest one.

6. Realism​

  • Arcade. The plane mostly does what you mean.
  • Assisted. Real-ish handling with guard rails.
  • Realistic. You get exactly the flight you deserve.
  • Custom. Mix your own.

7. Graphics​

High detail or Fast. If the frame rate ever stutters, Fast keeps the flying smooth, and the sky still looks like sky.

Your first flight​

Takeoff​

  1. Brakes off with B.
  2. Full throttle with W and let the speed build down the runway.
  3. At about 65 kt, rotate. Press and hold ↓ to pull the nose up. ("Rotate" is pilot speak for raising the nose so the plane flies itself off the runway.)
  4. Climb straight ahead, then retract the flaps with Shift+F and raise the gear with G.

Cruise​

Level off, set a comfortable throttle, and follow your route. The minimap (M) keeps the destination honest. This is also the perfect moment to hand the plane to the autopilot with P and enjoy the view.

Landing​

The scoring cares about one thing above all: touch down gently, "on the numbers" (the big painted digits at the start of the runway).

  • Slow down early, extend flaps with F, and drop the gear with G.
  • Aim for the numbers and keep the descent shallow. Under about 300 fpm (feet per minute of descent) at touchdown is the target for a high score.
  • After touchdown: brakes with B, and in the SwiftJet hold S at idle for reverse thrust.
tip

Flare late and small. If the runway is rushing up at you, add a touch of power. A long gentle landing beats a short firm one every single time.

The complete key reference lives on the Controls page.