Games Like Ground Ops: Turnaround

Every flight you've ever taken, someone on the ground made it happen. In this game, that's you.

Ground Ops: Turnaround is a hands-on airport ground crew sim. A plane lands, it's your stand, and you've got about forty minutes to turn it around and get it back out on time.

What you do

Guide the plane in. Chock the wheels. Put out the cones. Then get the stairs or the jetbridge on, unload the bags, fuel it, top up the water, load the catering, board the passengers, and push it back with the tug. You drive every vehicle yourself, including the pushback.

Do it properly and the plane leaves on time. Rush it and things get damaged, people get hurt, and you get fined. Both are fun, in different ways.

Nothing comes to you. The steps, the loaders and the tractors live in the equipment yard. You fetch them, you use them, you put them back.

Two airports

Northstar International: 43 stands, piers with jetbridges, stairs stands, a remote apron with buses, a control tower, a town behind the fence and traffic everywhere. Other crews are working the stands around you.

Westcliff Regional: a small coastal airport. One runway, strong winds, a lot of fog and a lighthouse. You unlock it by finishing your first turnaround at Northstar.

Winter

When it snows, you de-ice. Orange fluid first to clear the snow, green fluid second to keep it off. De-icing only lasts so long, so once you start you need to get the plane off the stand before it wears off. Snow is the hardest part of the game.

When things go wrong

Fuel spills. Engines catch fire. When they do, the fire crew comes out, and the time between the first flame and the first water decides how bad it gets. Afterwards there's an incident report. There's always a report.

What's included

Day and night

A full day and night cycle. Floodlights, runway and taxiway lighting, fog at dawn, rain on the apron. The crew have faces, they blink, and they look at you when you talk to them.

Languages

English, German, French and Spanish. Menus, radio, lessons and briefings.