GEFS-Online

GEFS-Online is a free, online flight simulator based on the Google Earth plug-in.^[1] GEFS-Online provides a multi-player environment for players to interact with each other through the chat function.^[2] Created by Xavier Tassin, it was launched in October 2010. GEFS-Online has since expanded rapidly, with an average of 100 players on at any one time as of August 2013. On September 1st, 2015, support for the Google Earth plugin and other NPAPI Plugins ended on Google Chrome and soon after other browsers, nearly resulting in the shutdown of GEFS-Online. In January 2016; in light of the Google Earth plugin's termination, GEFS-Online migrated to Cesium, an open source 3D globe platform that uses WebGL and doesn't require a plugin to use.

GEFS-Online Version 1.0 banner

Aircraft available

The following 21 aircraft are currently available to fly (version 1.0):

• Airbus A380 - Airbus livery
• McDonnell Douglas MD-11F (tri-engine freighter) - Fedex Express livery
• Concorde (retired supersonic passenger aircraft) - Air France livery
• Douglas DC-3 (Twin piston engine aircraft)
• Antonov An-140 (Ukrainian twin turboprop airliner) - Aeromist livery
• Sukhoi Su-35 (multi-role fighter jet)
• Dassault/Dornier Alpha Jet (military trainer aircraft)
• Piper J-3 Cub (Training aircraft)
• Cessna 152 (Training aircraft)
• Zlin Z-50 (Stunt aircraft) - Red Bull livery
• Evektor SportStar (Light sport aircraft)
• Sopwith Camel F.1 (Bi-plane) [OMITTED FROM VERSION 1.1C]
• "Major Tom" (hot air balloon)
• Hughes 269/TH-55 (helicopter)
• Goat Airchair (glider)
• Paraglider (Glider)
• szd-48-3 Jantar (Glider)

Community Contributed Aircraft:

By Flight Level Development Group (FLDG) - Karl Cheng (Qantas 94 Heavy), Ethan Shields (SuperCheese21), Alan Wong (Le AlphaDelta):

• Boeing 777-300ER - Emirates livery [TEMPORARILY OMITTED FROM VERSION 1.1C]
• Boeing 737-700 - Southwest Heart livery [TEMPORARILY OMITTED FROM VERSION 1.1C]
• Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 - Flybe livery [TEMPORARILY OMITTED FROM VERSION 1.1C]

By GX Development (GXD) - Luke Giacalone (Orbit 797), Harry Xue (B129HX):

• Boeing 787-8 - American Airlines livery
• Embraer E190 - JetBlue Airways livery
• Boeing 757-200 - Delta Airlines livery
• Boeing 767-300ER - Air Canada livery
• Airbus A350-900 - Qatar Airways livery

Notable features

The Google Earth Plugin provides a realistic, worldwide scenery, with over 30,000 runways to take-off and land from all around the world.^[3] There is an autopilot function that controls altitude, heading, and speed. Additional functions include PAPI lighting, customizable weather (wind, clouds), time-of-day rendering and high-intensity runway lights at night. The A380, the DC-3, and the Concorde have partially functional virtual cockpits.

Callsigns

In GEFS-Online, a "Foo" is the default callsign of a new pilot who has not logged in with a Google Account or created one. Within the GEFS-Online community, a "Foo" is a commonly used word to describe a bad, disrespectful pilot or one who has a lack of aviation knowledge.

Virtual airlines

GEFS is a flight simulator used for quite a few virtual airlines, simulating real life airline operations. The number of virtual airlines has become quite substantial, triggering the need for a separate sub-forum on the GEFS-Online forums.^[4] The types of virtual airlines can range from completely fictional, to virtual airlines based on currently running, real world airlines.

References