X-Plane Racing

Introducing the most realistic aerial racing simulator

X-Plane Racing is another spinoff from the mobile X-Plane 9 app. It is the first ever X-Plane application (for any platform, including desktop) with timed race courses that allow users to race against the computer or friends using the multiplayer mode. It is the most polished and optimized mobile version of X-Plane yet, with a great deal of testing done to perfect the AI and multiplayer modes.

X-Plane Racing comes with four regions and six planes, with a race course for each plane in each region, for a total of twenty-four race courses. These courses are presented as "highway-in-the-sky" "hoops" that the user flies though, racing against the clock and the AI's aircraft. When the course is finished, X-Plane will display the user's time through the course and the number of hoops missed. Some courses race down river valleys, others through mountain ranges, clouds, deserts, or snow-covered mountains. Additionally, rather than just flying alongside another user, multiplayer in X-Plane Racing allows timed trials against an opponent.

To our knowledge, X-Plane Racing has the most realistic flight physics for any aerial racing simulator ever created for any platform.

Included Aircraft

The X-Plane Racing app includes the following aircraft:

F4U Corsair
P-51 Mustang
F-4 Phantom
F-15 Eagle
F-86 Sabre
Gee Bee Super Sportster

The F4U Corsair is a tricky World War II-era high-speed fighter. Because of its taildragger landing gear configuration, it is very tricky to land. The pilot must land in a full-stall, nose-high attitude. Be sure to hold the stick at full aft (meaning the iPhone/iPod is tilted all the way back) on the takeoff roll in this plane in order to hold the tail wheel down for steering authority.

The P-51 Mustang was the premier fighter of the Second World War. It must be taken off and landed with the same technique as the Corsair due to the taildragger landing gear.

Note also that both of these World War II-era, propeller-driven fighters have very powerful engines and very large propellers. As a result, the torque delivered by the engine and propeller will try to roll the plane to the left. This is most noticeable at very low airspeeds (when taking off, for example), when the aerodynamic forces created by the ailerons to counteract this are at a minimum. Thus, be prepared to roll hard towards the right (by rolling your iPhone/iPod right) as the plane lifts off and the wheels are no longer supporting the weight of the airplane on the ground. As the craft's airspeed builds you will be able to use less and less right aileron to counteract the torque from the propeller and engine.

The F-4 Phantom, the king of the "Jet Age," held fifteen world records during the 1960s (listed near the bottom of this page), among which were a number of fastest times to altitude, the fastest time across the continental US, and the highest zoom climb. It makes for an incredible ride through the canyons at Mach 1.25.

The F-15 Eagle is the pinnacle of pilot-friendly jet power... If the pilot can handle Mach 1.25 between the mountain peaks of Alaska and the other regions.

The F-86 Sabre saw a great deal of action during the Korean War, where it battled the Soviet MiG-15s. In the late 1940s, the Sabre was the fastest jet aircraft in the world, reaching a speed of 570 mph in 1948. It eventually saw speeds as high as 680 mph.

The Gee Bee Model R Super Sportster was the aircraft racing king of the 1930s. With a top speed of nearly 300 mph, it was untouchable in its time. Be careful, though--its small control surfaces make it a bit of an unruly ride!

Included Race Courses

X-Plane Racing has four flight regions available--Canyons (a fictional area filled with its namesake), Juneau and Anchorage, Alaska, and Provost, Canada.

Within each region are six different race courses--one for each aircraft, for a total of sixteen differenct courses; changing the aircraft changes the course. Each course is appropriate to the craft--for instance, courses for the F-15 may have 90 degree climbs, followed by an abrupt dive, whereas the P-51 courses, due to the limitations of the craft, will not be so extreme. The courses also vary in length, with the jet courses being longest due to their higher speeds.

Get it from the iTunes Store

Purchase X-Plane Racing for the iPhone and iPod Touch using this link.

Get it from the webOS store

Purchase X-Plane Racing for the Palm Pre using this link.

X-Plane Racing--found in the main X-Plane Mobile manual

The main X-Plane Mobile manual (which includes X-Plane Racing) can be downloaded using this link.

If you don't need the full manual, but only a quick introduction to the flight controls in the X-Plane Mobile apps, check out the Mobile Instructions page.

Click the images below to see them at full size, then click to close them.

Quick links

X-Plane for iPad is here!

Click here to read all about it!

See X-Plane Mobile in action!

Prepare to be stunned by X-Plane. Videos and photos speak where words can't. See the Multimedia page...

What do other people think?

Get more opinions before you buy. We're confident the reviewers love X-Plane Mobile as much as we do. Learn more...

What sets X-Plane apart?

It's blade element theory, of course. By breaking down every surface of the airplane and calculating the forces acting on each piece individually, X-Plane Mobile delivers the most realistic flight experience available--in a portable form. Learn more...

Buy an app

Click here to visit the Laminar Research page of the iTunes App Store.

Get the manual

In either PDF or Wiki form, the X-Plane manual can answer many of the questions you may have. See the Mobile Manual page...

Get quick instructions

Don't need the full manual? Looking for a brief introduction to flying on the X-Plane Mobile apps? See the Mobile Instructions page...

What's the difference...

...between the iPhone/iPod Touch and the Palm Pre version? The answer is... almost nothing. The user interface, flight controls, and all other features are identical. The most noticeable difference is, well, the loading screen. Find info on both here.