Infinite Flight — the mobile flight simulator that has attracted a dedicated global following since its 2011 launch — introduced Infinite Flight Live on July 7, 2026, a new multiplayer experience that transforms the simulator from a series of individual flights into a persistent, living aviation world. Aircraft, fleets, and organizations now continue to exist between sessions. When a pilot lands and closes the app, the aircraft stays parked where it was left. Fleets carry operational history across weeks and months. Multi-pilot organizations can coordinate deliveries, repositioning flights, and dispatch operations across time zones. A waitlist is now open at InfiniteFlight.live and through the Infinite Flight mobile application.
For mobile flight simulator users, virtual airline operators, and pilots who use simulators for procedural training between real flights, Infinite Flight Live represents a substantive rethinking of what mobile flight simulation can be. Here’s what’s actually launching, how it works, and what it means for the broader flight sim ecosystem.
What Infinite Flight Live Actually Is
The core innovation of Infinite Flight Live is persistence — the idea that aircraft, fleets, and organizations exist in a continuous, shared world rather than being reset at the end of each session. Traditional flight simulators (including Infinite Flight’s own multiplayer mode until now) treat each flight as an isolated event: pilot chooses an aircraft, chooses a departure airport, flies, disconnects. The aircraft effectively vanishes when the session ends.
Live changes that model. As Infinite Flight co-founder and CEO Laura Laban framed it in the launch announcement: “Infinite Flight has always been about making aviation accessible anywhere. With Live, we’re creating a world that remembers. Aircraft have a history, fleets have continuity, and pilots can work together in ways that weren’t possible before.”
Six specific systems anchor Live’s persistent-world model:
Persistent aircraft. Aircraft remain parked at the airport where they were left after a flight. They retain their location, history, and operational status across sessions. If you land at KSFO and shut down, the aircraft is at KSFO when you return.
Organizations. A shared-fleet system that lets multiple pilots collectively manage aircraft, schedules, routes, and operations. Organizations can range from small groups of friends coordinating weekend flights to large virtual airlines running structured schedules.
Fleet-based operations. Aircraft assignments and availability now matter operationally. If an organization’s aircraft is at a specific location, pilots have to work with that constraint — repositioning it or working around it — rather than just spawning a new one.
Multi-pilot, multi-time-zone coordination. Persistent operations enable teams of pilots spanning time zones to run continuous virtual airline operations, hand off aircraft across shifts, and coordinate multi-leg routes over hours or days.
Lifts capacity model. A new scalable resource system supporting organization growth. The exact mechanics of Lifts haven’t been publicly disclosed in depth, but the company describes it as the underlying capacity model for large-scale organizational operations.
AutoPilot+ and Auto Exit foundations. Live builds on existing Infinite Flight technologies — AutoPilot+ for long-haul flight automation and Auto Exit for reliable session termination — that were originally developed to support the very kinds of persistent, multi-hour operations Live now formalizes.
Why Persistence Changes Everything
The persistence model has substantial second-order effects that emerged during Infinite Flight’s internal testing. According to company officials, testers reported:
Aircraft deliveries. Pilots coordinating to move aircraft from manufacturer sites to buyer bases — essentially, virtual ferry flights that require multiple parties to coordinate.
Repositioning flights. Aircraft ending a day at a spoke airport must be repositioned back to base for the next day’s operations. Pilots naturally began coordinating who would fly the repositioning legs.
Weather-driven diversions. When simulated weather forces aircraft to divert, the aircraft actually ends up at the diversion airport — creating downstream operational problems that require coordinated response.
Multi-leg operations. Instead of single-flight sessions, pilots started building multi-day itineraries that mirror real airline operations.
None of these emergent behaviors were explicitly programmed as features. They developed naturally because the persistent-world model creates the same operational constraints that shape real aviation. In real aviation, you can’t just spawn a new 737 at wherever you want to depart. Someone has to fly it there first. Live brings that reality into mobile simulation.
The Infinite Flight Story So Far
Infinite Flight was co-founded in 2010 by Laura Laban and Philippe Rollin as Flying Development Studio LLC, with the goal of bringing serious flight simulation to mobile devices. The first version shipped on Windows Phone in April 2011 with a Cessna 172SP and 15 airports around the San Francisco Bay Area. The company subsequently ported to iOS in March 2012 and Android in July 2013, and rebranded as Infinite Flight LLC.
The company has grown steadily without institutional funding. Its Pro subscription model — priced around $9.99 per month — supports unlimited aircraft, global scenery, multiplayer features, and ongoing content updates. As of late 2025, Infinite Flight held a consistent 4.0-star rating on Google Play across more than 144,000 reviews, with users regularly praising graphics quality and aircraft variety.
Laban herself is a real-world pilot with approximately 830 hours logged, PPL training completed in France starting around 2000, extensive PA-28 time, and current taildragger operations. Her personal history reflects a common Infinite Flight user arc: flight simulation as a gateway to real-world aviation. Many Infinite Flight users have described the app as their stepping stone into actual flight training.
Key product milestones over the years:
- 2011: First Windows Phone release
- 2012: iOS launch
- 2013: Android launch
- 2020: NavBlue (an Airbus company) partnership brings worldwide navigation aids and procedures into the simulator
- 2021: 10-year anniversary
- 2026: Infinite Flight Live launch
For a company that started as a co-founder passion project, the trajectory has been remarkable. Live represents the company’s most ambitious systemic reimagining of the simulator experience since the multiplayer launch years ago.
Who Benefits Most From Live
Several distinct user communities stand to benefit substantially from the persistent-world model:
Virtual airlines. Community-run virtual airlines have existed for decades across the flight simulation space, using various third-party integrations to track pilot activity, fleet status, and route networks. Live brings first-class support for these operations directly into the simulator, eliminating the need for external tools and databases.
Long-haul flight enthusiasts. Pilots who fly ultra-long-haul routes (12+ hour flights) can now do so with confidence that the aircraft ends up where the flight actually took them — enabling next-day continuation flights or handoffs to other pilots.
Cross-timezone flying communities. Aviation communities that span multiple continents can now coordinate operations without everyone needing to be online simultaneously. A pilot in London can hand off an aircraft to a pilot in Tokyo who continues the operation.
Aspiring real-world pilots. For pilots using Infinite Flight as procedural training between real flights, the persistent-world model creates opportunities to practice multi-day trip planning, fuel management across legs, and operational decision-making that closer mirrors real aviation career work.
Content creators and community events. YouTubers, streamers, and event organizers now have infrastructure to build multi-day events, tournaments, and challenges that persist across sessions and involve dozens or hundreds of participants.
What Live Is Not
Some important framing about what Live is and isn’t:
Live is not a replacement for the current multiplayer experience. Standard multiplayer sessions continue to work as they always have. Live is an addition — a new experience mode that runs alongside the existing simulator.
Live is not a real pilot certificate. Nothing about the persistent-world experience is FAA-approved for logging flight time or meeting training requirements. It’s a simulator, and simulator time in Infinite Flight is not loggable time. Real pilots interested in loggable simulator time should look to certified BATDs, AATDs, and FTDs from providers like Redbird, Frasca, or PilotEdge.
Live is not free of the technical constraints of mobile. Infinite Flight runs on phones and tablets. The persistent-world capacity, session length, and complexity of coordinated operations are still bounded by mobile hardware and network reliability. The Lifts capacity model presumably manages some of this, but the specific limits haven’t been publicly disclosed.
Live is not launched yet — it’s waitlist-only. As of July 7, 2026, the announcement is a launch of the waitlist, not general availability. Interested users can join at InfiniteFlight.live and through the Infinite Flight mobile app. The company has not disclosed a specific date for general availability.
How Live Fits the Broader Flight Sim Ecosystem
The mobile flight simulation category has grown steadily throughout the 2020s. Infinite Flight has been one of the two dominant mobile simulators alongside various competitors from Aerofly, X-Plane Mobile, and Microsoft Flight Simulator’s mobile extensions.
Live sits in interesting territory relative to other flight simulation platforms:
Vs. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. MSFS’s persistent-world features have been discussed but not implemented at the scope Live is targeting. MSFS has vastly deeper graphical fidelity and desktop hardware to run it; Live runs on any modern phone. Different markets, different value propositions.
Vs. X-Plane 12. X-Plane’s community includes major virtual airlines, but they run on external tools rather than in-simulator persistence. Live’s in-simulator organizational model may be substantially more accessible for casual virtual airline participation.
Vs. desktop virtual airline networks (VATSIM, IVAO). These platforms provide ATC and multiplayer overlays for desktop simulators but don’t offer the persistent aircraft/fleet model Live introduces. Live’s approach is more like a game with airline-style operations than an ATC overlay.
Vs. Google Earth Flight Simulator. The recent Google Earth flight simulator revival is closer to Infinite Flight’s basic mode — freeform flying without persistence. Live’s operational complexity puts it in a different category.
For the broader flight simulation industry, Live is one of the more meaningful conceptual innovations of 2026. Persistent worlds are common in other genres (MMORPGs, city builders, base-building games) but have been rare in flight simulation. Live may set an expectation that other simulators will feel pressure to match.
What Pilots Should Do
For flight simulator users evaluating whether to engage with Live:
Join the waitlist. Infinite Flight is inviting users through the waitlist at InfiniteFlight.live and through the mobile application. Early access is likely limited; joining the waitlist secures priority.
Consider whether persistent-world operations fit your play style. Live rewards commitment and coordination. If your simulator use is casual and session-based, standard multiplayer may serve you better. If you want to build something with a virtual community, Live is designed for you.
Evaluate community options. Existing Infinite Flight community groups (regional pilot networks, virtual airlines) will likely form the initial organizations in Live. Joining one before Live goes wide provides a smoother onboarding path than starting solo.
For CFI and student use. Real-pilot educational applications of Live remain to be seen. The persistent-world model could support instructional scenarios (multi-day IFR trip planning, cross-country planning with weather considerations) that traditional simulators don’t handle well. Infinite Flight has not announced any formal educational partnerships around Live.
How This Connects to the Broader Simulation Landscape
Live’s launch comes at an interesting moment for aviation simulation broadly:
- FlightSimExpo 2027 is confirmed for June 25-27, 2027 in Las Vegas — a major industry event where the flight sim community gathers annually
- Google Earth Flight Simulator launched publicly earlier in 2026, expanding freeform mobile-and-browser sim access
- The FAA’s investment in simulator use for pilot training continues to grow, with new BATD/AATD/FTD authorizations
- Value of simulator-based crisis training is increasingly recognized as essential across airline and business aviation operations
- AI-powered flight simulation features are emerging across multiple platforms
Each of these developments reflects a broader trend: aviation simulation is transitioning from an enthusiast hobby into an operational tool that supports real flight training, community-building, and pilot skill development. Infinite Flight Live is part of that shift.
The Bottom Line
Infinite Flight Live is one of the more substantive conceptual innovations to hit mobile flight simulation in years. Persistent aircraft, organizational fleet management, cross-timezone coordination, and emergent operational behaviors together represent a fundamental rethinking of what a mobile simulator can be. For the millions of Infinite Flight users worldwide — and for the aviation enthusiasts who might discover the simulator through Live — the persistent-world model creates opportunities that simply didn’t exist before.
The waitlist is now open at InfiniteFlight.live. Whether Live goes on to define a new category of persistent multiplayer flight simulation or serves primarily as an enhanced experience for existing Infinite Flight users, the underlying design decision — to build a simulator world that remembers — is one worth watching.
For anyone curious about mobile flight simulation, virtual airline operations, or the intersection of aviation community and technology, Live is one of the more interesting things happening in this corner of aviation in 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Infinite Flight Live? Infinite Flight Live is a new multiplayer experience launched by Infinite Flight on July 7, 2026, that transforms the simulator from individual flights into a persistent, living aviation world. Aircraft, fleets, and organizations continue to exist between sessions. Aircraft remain parked where pilots leave them, fleets carry operational history, and multiple pilots can coordinate multi-time-zone operations. A waitlist for early access is open at InfiniteFlight.live.
How is Infinite Flight Live different from regular multiplayer? Regular Infinite Flight multiplayer treats each flight as an isolated session — aircraft, positioning, and state reset when the session ends. Infinite Flight Live introduces persistence: aircraft remain at the airport where they were parked, fleets track operational history, and organizations manage shared aircraft across multiple pilots and time zones. This enables coordinated multi-leg operations, virtual airline management, and emergent behaviors like ferry flights and repositioning coordination.
Who is Laura Laban? Laura Laban is the co-founder and CEO of Infinite Flight LLC (originally Flying Development Studio LLC), which she started with co-founder Philippe Rollin in 2010. Laban is a real-world pilot with approximately 830 hours logged and PPL training completed in France starting around 2000. She has extensive PA-28 experience and is a taildragger enthusiast. She started building Infinite Flight as a passion project in 2004 that shipped its first commercial version on Windows Phone in April 2011.
Does Infinite Flight count as loggable simulator time for pilots? No. Infinite Flight is not FAA-approved as a Basic Aviation Training Device (BATD), Advanced Aviation Training Device (AATD), or Flight Training Device (FTD). Time flown in Infinite Flight cannot be logged toward pilot certificates or ratings. Real-world pilots seeking loggable simulator time should look to certified devices from providers like Redbird Flight Simulations, Frasca, or Elite Simulation Solutions.
When can I access Infinite Flight Live? Infinite Flight Live launched its waitlist on July 7, 2026. Interested users can sign up at InfiniteFlight.live or through the Infinite Flight mobile application on iOS and Android. Infinite Flight has not publicly disclosed a specific date for general availability. Early access is expected to be limited, so joining the waitlist secures priority access when the mode opens more broadly.
Sources:
