When I first downloaded Infinite Flight way back in 2016… I was ten years old. I wasn’t expecting it to mean much more to me than any other video game I had played. The regions were small, aircraft lacked instruments, and I was too young to join the community. The only thing that kept me engaged int he simulator was the idea of ATC and the prospect of global flight on the horizon. I bought a pro subscription without my parents permission, and took to the skies.
Once global finally dropped, Infinite Flight had such a large grasp on me that I couldn’t break free from. The day that global dropped, I tried to hide in the school bathroom and start a thirteen hour overnight. Needless to say, it didn’t work, but looking back, I realize that was the moment I became obsessed with Infinite Flight. I joined the community in 2018, and became an active user.
During the pandemic, I played Infinite Flight for almost every hour of every day, making great friends along the way (sussy town, I’m looking at you). I created events that got great turnouts, and sharpened my understanding of aviation communications and flight dynamics. In 2021, I started sporadically taking flight lessons from my local airport (KCDW).
After three years of taking on-and-off lessons, I finally decided that this summer, I would lock in on my aviation career and finish my solo before I left for college. It was a goal that I knew would take a lot of work and add more to my already stressful life, but was determined to complete. Throughout my flight lessons, I would regularly use knowledge I picked up general Infinite Flight flying, as well as during my IFATC training. I even felt generally more comfortable in the cockpit because of the amount of time I had spent in IF in the Skyhawk.
And then, finally, today I successfully completed my first solo flight out of KCDW, consisting of full stop taxi backs, touch and goes, and navigation to a practice area. And to think I would never have been remotely interested in this if it weren’t for ten-year-old me downloading a mobile game without my parents permission… I have so much to thank Infinite Flight for.
And moving forward, the initial spark that Infinite Flight provided is also writing my future. Due to my aspirations to be a full-time pilot, I’ve decided to join AFROTC, hopefully leading me to a flying career in the United States Air Force. For all of my U.S High Schoolers looking to fly but also looking to receive a college education, I’d very highly recommend looking into the different AFROTC scholarships. It got me a fully paid tuition, and I will be attending and joining AFROTC Detachment 060 at the University of Southern California in a little over a week. And throughout my college application process, I regularly mentioned Infinite Flight, and how it had completely changed my life.
So, just to wrap it all up, to Laura and Philippe, thank you so so so much for creating this app. It’s changed the entire course of my life, and I have only you to thank for inspiring me in aviation.
Best,
Tyler (Formerly Pingu)
shoutout mom, dad, and all of sussy town