Hi, my name's Matt.
In the late 1990s I was a flight school student, learning how to fly gliders at DASSU. I did get my pilot certificate, and according to my instructor I had proper talent, but due to reasons beyond my control I never got the opportunity to pursue flying in any meaningful capacity.
Around that time, Flight Unlimited II by Looking Glass was released. I had been using flight sims since the late 80s, but this one felt different. The visuals were way ahead of everything else (the hardware requirements too), and it helped to soften the blow of losing gliders.
FU2 was, despite its name, quite limited. You could only fly in the San Francisco Bay Area. But since I had been there with my family, I could relate strongly to that world.
Even back then, I kept thinking how great it would be to build something like a long-term career in a simulator. There were missions, but they got repetitive quickly. There was no real sense of progression. What I really wanted was something closer to a bush flying life.
The FrontierWings idea
Fast forward almost 30 years. The flight sim ecosystem has evolved in ways we couldn’t have imagined back then. There are many great options for virtual careers today, both offline and online, and I’ve tried quite a few of them.
I also have a soft spot for bush flying stories on YouTube. One of the channels I follow is “Missionary Bush Pilot.” Ryan’s videos and his story were a big part of what pushed me to start building something myself, specifically focused on bush flying.
Now you might ask: why build another career platform? There are already good ones out there.
First of all, I have a lot of respect for everyone contributing to this space. Whether it’s scenery, aircraft, tools, apps, virtual airline systems, tutorials or checklists — there’s a lot of great work being done.
There are solid virtual airline platforms like phpVMS or vaBase, and career tools like Neofly, OnAir, or FS Economy, the latter having been around for more than 20 years!
But most of these systems come with a level of complexity that doesn’t really fit what I’m looking for. They often focus on airline-style operations, with fleet management, personnel management, and lots of moving parts.
What I want is simple (in theory)
I just want to fly, low and slow, take on challenging bush missions, build experience over time. And have a profile that tells the story of that journey.
That’s what FrontierWings is about:
- A bush flying career system that doesn’t get in the way
- Minimal management, no unnecessary complexity, no forced aircraft selection
- A clean and focused user experience instead of spreadsheet-heavy workflows
- Entertaining rewards and leaderboards that are worth showing
- A simple core loop: pick a mission, fly it, earn rewards, repeat
At the end of the day, many of us are here not for number crunching but for the flying.
If this project resonates with you, please join the Early Access Program - including a free 7 day trial, no strings attached. I look forward to hearing from you!