Spending & prices

Your first claim is free. Every claim after that costs Ⓐ25,000multiplied by how many you've already paid for: the second claim is Ⓐ25,000, the third Ⓐ50,000, and so on. Land is deliberately the scarce thing in the economy. A paid claim refunds in full if you release it within 24 hours of buying, even if a build has processed - after that the land cost is the one spend that is never returned (see Claiming land).

Every airport starts on the free starter level. Bigger circles are bought as levels, and prices are cumulative- an upgrade only ever charges the difference between what you've paid and the level you're buying.

Sizes, what each level unlocks, and how the circle behaves are covered in Buildable area & levels.

There is no flat per-category price. Every object in the catalogue is priced by a formula with three ingredients:

• Size score. Footprint and height combine into a size score - footprint dominates - which runs through a gently super-linear curve. Twice the building costs a bit more than twice the price.
• Category desirability. A multiplier for how much an object type is worth wanting: landmarks sit highest at 2.0, control towers at 1.6, terminals at 1.5, sliding down to 0.5 for simple clutter.
• Model richness.A factor derived from the 3D asset's actual detail, so an intricate model costs more than a plain box of the same size.

The result is rounded to a neat number, with a floor around Ⓐ60 for tiny items. Every category also has a ceiling that tracks its character: scatter decor caps low (a tree never exceeds Ⓐ400), hangars at Ⓐ10,000, terminals at Ⓐ25,000, bridges at Ⓐ20,000. Landmarks reach highest: formula-priced ones cap at Ⓐ60,000, and hand-priced world icons top the catalogue at Ⓐ70,000 - see Landmarks & prestige.

Two deliberate exceptions to "small = cheap": dynamic elements that answer the live world are still special - flags waving in the real wind are premium set-dressing at Ⓐ400, windsocks (the one piece of kit every field needs) sit at Ⓐ300-Ⓐ400 - and helipads are priced like hangars because placing one also compiles a real, spawnable helipad into your airport.

Practical anchors

Objects are bought as instances into an account-wide pool, not welded to one airport. Delete a placement and the instance goes back to your pool, ready to place again - at the same airport or any other one you own. You only buy a new instance when every one you own is already placed somewhere.

What limits object count isn't money, it's slots - see Object slots.

Painting a livery costs nothing while you experiment; publishing charges a Paint Bill with three sections, like a real shop quote. Paint is a flat Ⓐ750 covering every color layer. Finish is one line at the best material on the airframe: factory included, Matte and Gloss Ⓐ500, Bare Metal Ⓐ1,250, Chrome Ⓐ3,500. Decals bill per placement, from Ⓐ50 for text and shapes up to Ⓐ2,000 for a full wrap. Republishing charges only what is new, and removals never refund.

Hangar Bays are the Workshop's one account-wide purchase: Ⓐ5,000 to Ⓐ40,000 each, bought in order. The full price table, worked examples, and the wrap coverage rule are in The Livery Workshop.

A lot of the builder never touches your wallet, on purpose:

• Parking spots, hold-shorts, taxi signs, and ground text - operational realism is never paywalled.
• Ground cover - the natural grass/dirt/gravel underlay.
• Moving or shrinking your buildable area.
• Rebuilding - compile and sync as often as you like.
• Releasing objects back to your pool.

Four refund rules cover everything: objectsrefund at 100% within 24 hours of buying (automatically, when you delete them in the builder) and unused instances at 50% after, minus the creator's share on creator items (90% and 40% at a 10% share); unused purchased material area refunds at 50%; releasing a whole claim within 24 hours returns its land cost, remaining material value, and paid buildable-area upgrades in full, even after a build. Later, release returns 40% of remaining material value; land and area upgrades are not returned.

The Auction House at /portal/marketplace is currently closedwhile the economy is rebalanced. The page exists, but listing and buying are disabled - don't plan a strategy around trading for now. Everything on this page is buyable directly with Aeros you earn by flying.