The Economy9 min read
Earning Aeros
All earning flows through the free companion app: it reports your presence, flights, and landings, and the server decides what they're worth. Keep the app running while you sim and the Aeros take care of themselves - this page is the exact math for people who like exact math.
Ground rules
Grind income - everything on this page except one-time grants - shares a single daily cap: Ⓐ1,000 for free accounts, Ⓐ2,500 for Supporters. When you hit it, earning pauses until the day rolls over; nothing is lost or penalised. Every credit appears as its own labelled line in your wallet ledger.
Idle & flight time
| Stream | Rate | Cap | Condition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Idle | Ⓐ1 / min | 120 min / day | Companion app open, not flying |
| Active flight | Ⓐ1 / min × multiplier | 1,440 min / day | In a flight session in MSFS |
| Variety bonus | Ⓐ1 / min | 60 min / day | Allow-listed sim add-on running during a flight (opt-in) |
Time is measured against the real clock, per account - running two PCs doesn't double it. The app checks in every minute or so; brief disconnects are forgiven.
The variety multiplier
Flying with a richer setup pays more. The companion app (if you opt in) recognises well-known sim companion apps - ATC clients, online networks, career trackers, nav tools, weather engines - and counts how many categoriesyou're running alongside a live flight. That count sets your active-income multiplier:
| Categories running | Tier | Active income |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Solo | 1.0× (Ⓐ1/min) |
| 1 | Connected | 1.4× |
| 2 | Equipped | 1.8× |
| 3 | Professional | 2.4× |
| 4 | Full Deck | 3.0× |
| 5+ | Command Center | 4.0× (Ⓐ4/min) |
The live catalog of recognised apps is on the download page while signed in.
Landing income
Landing at any published Project Airports field pays out on touchdown:
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base | Ⓐ25 |
| Distance bonus | Ⓐ0.5 per nautical mile flown, up to Ⓐ75 (a 150 nm leg maxes it) |
| Destination bonus | 2% of the destination airport's invested value, up to Ⓐ50 |
Total per landing: Ⓐ25–150. Caps: 5/day at any one airport, 10/day overall.
So the ideal earning pattern is exactly the fun one: real cross-country hops between different community fields - richer destinations pay better, and airport-hopping in circles caps out quickly on purpose.
What counts as a landing
Your session needs at least a minute of real flight time, a plausible touchdown (sink rate and speed), and recent position telemetry near the field. Normal flying always qualifies; teleports and slew tricks don't.
Visit income - your airport pays you
When someone else logs a counted landing at your published airport, you earn Ⓐ15plus 1% of your airport's invested value, capped at Ⓐ40 per visit and 20 paid visits per day. Build somewhere people want to fly - scenic, well-decorated, near other fields - and your airport becomes a small business. Publishing is covered in Public airport pages.
Milestones & one-time grants
| Milestone | Reward |
|---|---|
| Sign up (founding bonus) | Ⓐ10,000 |
| First land claim | Ⓐ100 |
| Finish the builder tutorial / first design | Ⓐ200 |
| First successful build | Ⓐ350 |
| First device sync | Ⓐ550 |
| First flight (60+ seconds) | Ⓐ800 |
| First counted landing | Ⓐ1,100 |
| Place 10 objects | Ⓐ1,500 |
| Supporter kit ($25+ contribution) | Ⓐ25,000 |
Milestones pay once, don't count against the daily cap, and track automatically in the portal guide.
