ACARS: Career Mode

A free, funny pilot-career adventure that plays like an airliner CDU.

How to play

You start with a discovery flight and end, many choices later, with one of 25 career endings. Messages arrive on a green-on-black screen modeled on the FMS control display unit in an airliner cockpit. Press the line-select key next to your choice (keys 1 to 6 or Q to Y on a keyboard, or tap the keys beside the screen), then press EXEC to confirm. NEXT PAGE and PREV PAGE flip through longer messages.

Your choices move money, hours, sanity, family life and your standing with the chief pilot. Some choices are dice rolls where your stats improve the odds. Regional or cargo, corporate or the majors, bush flying or the union hall: nearly every pilot career path in the real industry has a branch here, and so do a few the FAA would rather not discuss.

Each ending has a score and a place in your logbook. Find every one, and a secret page opens in the logbook. Scores can go on the leaderboard, which is shared with other pilots.

Why pilots like it

The humor works because the choices are real. Time building, regional pay, reserve, upgrades, furloughs and the pilot shortage that comes and goes are all part of how an airline career actually unfolds, and the game treats them with the dry affection of someone who has lived through them.

Flying with a Stratux ADS-B receiver is one of the cheaper upgrades along the way. Curious how it works? Read how ADS-B works.

FAQ

What is ACARS: Career Mode?

A free browser text adventure about a pilot career, styled as an airliner FMS CDU. You make choices and try to reach all 25 endings.

How long does a run take?

A career usually takes 10 to 20 minutes. Your run is saved on your device so you can quit and continue.

What is ACARS in real life?

ACARS is the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, a digital datalink airlines use to send short messages between aircraft and the ground. Pilots read them on the same CDU used here.

Is it free?

Yes, free in your browser with no sign-up.

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