Air Races Level 1 -50

Air Races in GTAO are neatly divided into Ranked Sets, with the following having been added to the game (so far):

Ranked Air Race Distribution

The first logical division of the game in terms of contents takes place in the Levels 1 through 50, and then Levels 51 through 100, and 101 through whatever. For the purposes of this guide, the present state of each sections is focused upon these stages, and you will find it very convenient if you organize your game play with those divisions in mind.

The quick-navigation menu to the right above lists the different Air Races by title to make getting to the one you want to learn about as easy as possible. Each race is listed in detail, along with any advice we can offer you for making the most of it.

Aircraft Catalog

Grand Theft Auto online includes the following aircraft as the contents of the Aircraft Catalog current as of the time that this was written (January 2014), and include:

Air Vehicles - Fixed Wing

The selection of fixed-wing aircraft at the present time is restricted to the following handful of planes, though it is expected that it will eventually be added to with future updates...

• Buckingham Luxor (Jet / Civilian)

• Buckingham Shamal (Jet / Civilian)

• Cargo Plane (Jet / Civilian)

• Western Cuban 800 (Prop / Civilian)

• Western Duster (Prop / Civilian)

• Jet Airliner (Jet / Civilian)

• Western Mallard (Prop / Civilian)

• JoBuilt Mammatus (Prop / Civilian)

• P-996 LAZER (Jet / Military)

• Titan (Prop / Military)

• JoBuilt Velum (Prop / Civilian)

Air Vehicles - Rotary Wing

While this may seem like a very small selection of helicopters considering that in previous games in the series we were lucky to get three different types of copter, this is a virtual treasure-trove of models! The selection is especially good in terms of armed copters - just saying...

• Buckingham Maverick (Civilian / Unarmed)

• Buckingham Police Maverick (Government / Unarmed)

• Maibatsu Frogger (Civilian / Unarmed)

• Nagasaki Buzzard (Government / Armed)

• Nagasaki Buzzard Attack Chopper (Government / Armed)

• Western Annihilator (Government / Armed)

• Western Cargobob (Government / Unarmed)

• Western Skylift (Government / Unarmed)

If the Mission you are playing does not have the vehicle type locked (when it is locked that means everyone has to use the same vehicle type and model) you will be able to choose from whichever models and types are allowed for that course.

Air Race: Blowing in the Wind

Blowing in the Wind

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 12

Players: 1 to 8

Area: Grand Senora Desert

Distance: 5.12 Miles.

A tour of San Andreas' renewable energy infrastructure in the least green vehicle we could think of -- planes. Point-to-point starts in Sandy Shores, dives through the windfarm, comes up over the Land Act Dam, and finishes Downtown.

Plane Selection: Western Cuban 800, Western Duster, Buckingham Luxor, JoBuilt Mammatus, Buckingham Shamal, Western Mallard, and JoBuilt Velum.

Hints and Tips: While there is a wide selection of plane types for this race if you are tempted to choose a jet only do that if you are REALLY good at tight flying in one. If you are new to flying or you do not feel like your skill Levels are very high you are much better off going with one of the smaller single-engine planes if only because this route for the race goes through some tight spaces.

Pay attention to the direction of the arrows at each of the markers since you will need to quickly adjust your path to match their direction for several of the markers in order to actually hit them.

Burn Your Bridges

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 35

Players: 1-8

Area: Vespucci Beach

Distance: 3.82 Miles

It's duck season on this lap race for Mallard planes around South Los Santos. Fly through the thick of the smog as you buzz chimney stacks and gas guzzling freeways, and go under and between bridges in the city's soon to be outsourced industrial heart.

Plane Selection: Restricted to the Western Mallard stunt plane.

Hints and Tips: The first thing that you need to remember when you play this race is that you have to pay attention to your skill level as a pilot. The course for this race takes you into tight and potentially fatal areas primarily running under bridges. What you need to remember here is that you are not locked into that route -- as long as a part of your wing or plane can touch the checkpoint ring as you pass it, your route counts.

With that in mind, even though going under bridges is worth extra XP points that contribute to Levels, it may make more sense and, even more important, be faster, for you to take a safer route. Remember this is a race after all, and you want to come in first if at all possible!

Business Class

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 30

Players: 1-8

Area: San Andreas

Distance: 3.43 Miles

Do Loggins proud and race some fighter jets around Downtown LS and Vinewood. Weave between buildings and through construction sites on your laps. Two tight turns at either end.

Plane Selection: Restricted to the P-996 LAZER Fighter Jet (armed).

Hints and Tips: The most important point that you need to keep in mind at all times is that you are flying a militar-grade fighter-bomber. The P-996 LAZER is based upon the real-world General Dynamics (Now called Lockheed-Martin) F-16 Fighting Falcon -- which is a multi-purpose single-engine jet-powered military aircraft first introduced into military service in 1978.

The P-996 appears to be based upon the F-16C/D model, and is armed with a single (1) forward-mounted hydraulically driven and electrically primed 20 mm M61 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon built by the Armament Division of General Electric (and you thought they just made light-bulbs!) and x2 wingtip-mounted air-to-air radar-guided missiles for use in targeting other aircraft though not entirely reliably.

At sea-level in order to maintain controlled flight the P-996 must maintain a minimum powered speed of 180 knots (around 205 MPH), which naturally requires the pilot to think-ahead 30-seconds in planning routes. Now compare that minimum speed to the typical "cruising speed" of 550 MPH (the "cruising" speed is the typical speed that most pilots are comfortable flying the airplane at) and you can easily see why mentally flying ahead of the aircraft is required.

For this course you need to remember that you do NOT have to put the aircraft through the center of the marker -- as long as you can get some part of the aircraft (including a wingtip) to touch any part of the marker that counts as "on-course" as far as the game is concerned.

Also remember that this is a race -- your goal is to be the first pilot over the line -- so while recommended courses are nice, and the extra XP you can get for doing things like flying between the narrow opening between buildings or under bridges is nice, you are after all flying a freaking military jet aircraft!

Taking all of this into consideration, you will want to adopt a much more conservative approach to both this race and the aircraft. The one thing you will NOT want to do is try to fly this one the same way that you do a prop-based duster or stunt plane because maneuvering it with your ailerons is just going to result in you flying into a building or the ground.

It will really REALLY be helpful if you learn the awkward but very effective tactic of holding the controller so that the "Pointer-Finger" (the finger closest to your thumb) are on the bumpers (Left Bumper and Right Bumper being the buttons above each trigger), with your index fingers (F-Fingers) on the Triggers. With the plane being flown in that configuration you are much better able to use the rudder to adjust your heading (using the bumpers you see?) which is more conservative and a hell of a lot less likely to get you into trouble.

Once you master using the gamepad in this way, you should find it far easier to fly -- since you will only need to change the pitch and position of the aircraft when it is necessary to make hard turns.

Finally you need to be aware of one other issue -- and that is that every now and then you will encounter players who find it far more entertaining to either stitch your wings with cannon fire from the Vulcan M61's or, more likely, lock onto you with the air-to-air missiles and destroy your aircraft so that they can then take their time flying through the checkpoints and win the race.

In that sort of situation believe it or not you are better off simply holding the throttle wide open for the entire race, keeping your plane as close to the ground / buildings as possible, and going for each checkpoint like your life depends upon it (which come to think upon it, it does). That approach nine-times-out-of-ten will force your opponent to speed up and maneuver a lot -- and since they are trying to line up on YOU and not the checkpoints, it increases the chances of them flying into either an obstacle (Building, crane, bridge pier) or the ground than actually hitting you. Just saying.

Remember this is a game and you are having fun.

Air Race: Chopper Cruise

Chopper Cruise

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 18

Players: 1-8

Area: Banham Canyon

Distance: 3.86 Miles.

How do you get from lunch in the Vinewood Hills to your flight at Los Santos International when it's gridlock on the La Puerta Fwy? This Chopper point-to-point across the city will give you an idea.

Plane Selection: Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, Buckingham Police Maverick, Nagasaki Buzzard, Western Annihilator, and Western Cargobob.

Hints and Tips: For this race you want to pick the smaller and faster model and you want to remember you do not have to go through the center of the marker, any part of the edge will do! Just get going and try not to fly into a building!

It seems that copter racing is the most challenging type of the Air Races for most players. As unhelpful as this will probably feel, the best way to improve your chances of winning this race (and the other copter races) is to simply set aside a few hours and just fly copters in the main game. Fly them until you really feel like you have them mastered, and only then start doing these races.

Even if you only improve your comfort level in copters that will make a major difference.

Crop Circle

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 15

Players: 1-8

Area: San Chianski Mountain Range.

Distance: 3.73 Miles

Explore the Eastern wilds of San Andreas on this point-to-point for choppers. Go up the coast, round El Gordo Lighthouse, buzz the farms of Grapeseed, and finish in prime alien abduction territory outside Sandy Shores.

Plane Selection: Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, Buckingham Police Maverick, Nagasaki Buzzard, Western Annihilator, and Western Cargobob.

Hints and Tips: Which ride you choose depends on which one you feel the most comfortable with, but considering its speed and handling characteristics, most of the players you race will be picking the Nagasaki Buzzard for obvious reasons.

Remember that hard turns will cost you a little altitude - that is not such a big deal when you are high up, but with the markers for this course all pretty close to the ground, it can be a problem. Because of this you really should try to aim for the top of each marker consistently rather than any part of the center. That way when you make an altitude mistake it will not result in you flying into a power pole or light post and blowing up.

Downtown, Downtown

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 12

Players: 1 to 8

Area: Mirror Park

Distance: 3.68 Miles

From Mirror Park to Del Perro, get across the city as fast as you can with no chance of being stuck in traffic. Lap race for planes cuts between skyscrapers as it traverses the metropolis.

Plane Selection: Western Cuban 800, Western Duster, Buckingham Luxor, JoBuilt Mammatus, Buckingham Shamal, Western Mallard, and JoBuilt Velum.

Hints and Tips: Due to the close proximity to buildings and some narrow turns you will do better in a smaller plane but do not sacrifice speed for size. Chances are your competition is not going to be choosing the Duster for this and so you should not either...

The narrow canyons between the buildings make using a jet more for the very skilled pilot not the new or medium skilled ones.

Air Race: Eclipse

Eclipse

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 20

Players:1-8

Area: San Andreas

Distance: 3.21 Miles

Challenging aerial lap race for Mallards taking you from the bright lights of Eclipse Blvd. past the big cranes and bigger egos of Downtown Vinewood, and back to Eclipse.

Plane Selection: Western Mallard (Locked).

Hints and Tips: This race uses the stunt plane - that is your only choice - and is a bit tricky in that there are several cranes you fly close to as well as some wicked turns. The easiest way to fly this without crashing is to aim for the top of the markers and duck up as soon as you clear them.

If it is raining or smoggy you should expect a little rough turbulence - keeping the throttle open can help in that case, just saying.

Fly Like an Eagle

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 15

Players: 1-8

Area: Richman

Distance: 2.50 Miles

If a helicopter's going over South Central or East LS, it's most likely harassing folks with statistically appropriate racial profiles. If one's going over West LS, it's probably ferrying a teen starlets favorite coffee brand beverage to her on set. This chopper point-to-point passes some of the most expensive real estate in the city and a Golf club where 99.9 percent of the population couldn't afford an iced tea.

Plane Selection: Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, Buckingham Police Maverick, Western Annihilator, Nagasaki Buzzard, or a Western Cargobob.

Hints and Tips: This course changes altitude quite a bit and has some tight turns, so you may be better off using the copter you are most comfortable with rather than the smallest and fastest - unless that happens to be the copter you are the most comfortable with, then hey, bonus to you!

If your skills with the copter are moderate you might find that the Maverick is the most forgiving of the copters -- while the Annihilator is forgiving too, but really slow compared to most of the others.

Grave Danger

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 20

Players: 1-8

Area: Vespucci Beach

Distance: 3.27 Miles.

Starting in the Puerto Del Sol, go around the while of beach side West Los Santos in this lap race for choppers. Aerial views of the Vespucci Canals, Richards Majestic Studios, Del Perro, and the Great Ocean Highway.

Plane Selection: Western Annihilator, Nagasaki Buzzard, Western Cargobob, Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, or Buckingham Police Maverick.

Hints and Tips: This is probably the toughest copter race in the game, simply due to the hard turns.

When you are racing more than four players you feel good just finishing this race, forget about finishing first!

But seriously, this is mostly a race against yourself - as in making as few mistakes as possible -- so choosing a forgiving copter can make all the difference in the world... Personally when I was first getting used to the copter in the game I chose the Police Maverick and I had a lot of good luck with that very forgiving copter, so you might as well.

Mind the building face at the hardest turn - it helps to slow down a little as you approach it.

Heli River

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 25

Players: 1-8

Area: San Andreas

Distance: 4.34 Miles.

Stick to the waterways in this chopper lap race around Los Santos. Follow the concrete river channels and fly under the bridges as you try to beat other birds from Downtown up to El Burro Heights and back to Little Seoul.

Plane Selection: Western Annihilator, Nagasaki Buzzard, Western Cargobob, Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, or Buckingham Police Maverick.

Hints and Tips: This one is not too bad as long as you do not get shy flying close to the ground, to buildings, and under bridges.

There are a few tight turns around buildings you will need to slow down for but for the most part this can be done with the gas engaged.

As far as the copter you pick for this one, it probably gets old hearing us say that you should pick the copter yo are the most comfortable with, but you should.

The reason for that is really just because you are less likely to have it get away from you when you are comfortable with the copter. Each of the copters in the game has its own signature of flying characteristics, how fast it turns, how much altitude it loses when you turn hard, or push all the way forward on the stick even with the collective at max. You get the idea.

Under Bridges: To be clear the way that this course is laid out it is evident that you ARE meant to fly under the two bridges that cross the LA River (Canal) but you do not have to if you just want to complete the race - all you have to do is tick each checkpoint - and you should bear that in mind.

Air Race: Jet Lag

Jet Lag

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 45

Players: 1-8

Area: North Chumash

Distance: 9.19 Miles

Long point to point race for Lazers. Fighter jets will start at Fort Zancudo and go over the wetlands before coming over the Vinewood Hills rounding Downtown and finishing above Del Perro. Pilots have to go between buildings and under bridges at high speed.

Plane Selection: P-996 LAZER (Locked).

Hints and Tips: Yes this is locked to the P-996 LAZER, and yes this is a pretty long race course layout - but that nine plus miles is not really long at all when you are doing it at Jet speed!

The description states specifically that the pilots have to go between buildings and under bridges at high speeds -- for the bridges it is really more optional than mandatory -- and as far as flying between the buildings goes, there are two spots on the course where you pretty much have no choice as they are lengthy canyon-like runs between the buildings.

What is worse is that if you are playing with other players who will opt to use the Weapons that the P-996 is equipped with, those two building-canyon-runs are very likely when they will attack.

The thing about this is if you plan ahead you can minimize the threat that you face from other players through the use of speed. What I mean by that is when the race begins, open the throttle wide and leave it locked open throughout the entire run from the country into the city. If you do that, chances are very good that you will open up a huge gap between you and the other racers.

If that gap is large enough, chances are you will clear the canyon-like runs between the buildings before your opponents can even think about loosing their missiles - let alone actually locking on to you and firing!

Because you hammer down and fly fast and low, there is a good chance that your opponents will end up going after easier targets - each other - since they are flying with an eye towards locking on their fire control computers, and not winning the race, whereas you are focused on winning the race. It all evens out in the end because this is a game in which karma matters.

Jet Stream

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 35

Players: 1-8

Area: Pacific Bluffs

Distance: 9.38 Miles.

Scenic tour of the outskirts of Los Santos in fighter jets. This long point to point for Lazers takes you past some postcard-worthy landmarks. If you look hard enough, you can make out the tourists taking selfies.

Plane Selection: P-996 LAZER (Locked)

Hints and Tips: This is another jet fighter locked race and another 9-mile-plus course.

With any luck one of your opponents will start shooting right away - though hopefully not at you! If you can avoid using your Weapons and keep the throttle open -- and avoid being hit with a missile or shot by an enemy cannon long enough to reach the coastline, once you swing out over the ocean and star the stretch of the course where you are dodging between the hills and the highway, you pretty much have this won.

Seriously -- at that point you will have opened up a very nice gap between you and your opponents and, with any luck they are now angry enough at each other for all the shooting that they are not even thinking about you! The only way that this could go bad for you at this point is if one or more of your opponents gives up on the race and starts ignoring the checkpoints with an eye towards killing you.

Thankfully that does not happen often - so all things being equal, if you made it to the coast without actually being hit by an enemy weapon, you should easily win this race.

Kept at Bay

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 12

Players: 1 to 8

Area: Paleto Bay

Distance: 3.04 Miles.

Short figure eight track for choppers just a few feet over Paleto Bay. Start on the headland, pass the chicken factory and Blaine County Savings and Loan, go down to Paleto Cove, and come back. Look out for low checkpoints over buildings and oncoming rcers at the junction points.

Helicopters: Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, Western Cargo Bob, Western Annihilator, Nagasaki Buzzard, and Buckingham Police Maverick.

Hints and Tips: This is a nice tight copter race -- so you will want to hone your chopper skills before you set out to race other players! Watch your altitude and remember that you do NOT have to hit the markers in the center -- hitting the edge will do.

Your two biggest challenges will be not hitting the other players, and not making mistakes in altitude.

Lazer Quest

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 25

Players: 1-8

Area: Grand Senora Desert

Distance: 8.05 Miles

Have you got the right stuff to take laps around Blaine County with this race for fighter jets. Starts near Sandy Shores, goes through Grapeseed, along the North coast of the Alamo Sea, around Mount Jonah, and back down Raton Canyon toward the Grand Senora.

Plane Selection: P-996 LAZER (locked).

Hints and Tips: Bear in mind that this is likely the first race you fly in an armed fighter jet (woot!) which means you can send some strategic cannon rounds into your opponents if they get too far ahead of you - and they can do the same to you (and probably will).

To be honest though since this is a race and not a deathmatch, you are much better served ignoring your own Weapons AND the weapons of your opponent and just flying as fast as you can to each checkpoint, ticking it, and then heading for the next one. If your opponents in this race are playing silly-buggers with their weapons (and there is a good chance that they are) you will be the one crossing the finish line first, and that is really best for everyone if you think about it :)

Because this is one of the funnest air races in the game hands down, chances are that you will be playing it a lot -- when a host is looking for something fun to do in an airplane, this is one of the races that just sort of pops up at you straight away...

So in short the best advice that we can offer you is for you to fly fast, try to avoid getting shot down - or flying into something while you dodge cannon fire -- and focus on making as few mistakes as possible while flying as fast as possible and you will find this to be a pretty easy victory.

Air Race: Life's a Beach

Life's a Beach

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 18

Players: 1-8

Area: Fort Zancudo

Distance: 3.67 Miles.

Let the Great Ocean Highway be your guide as you follow the West Coast down from Lago Zancudo to Del Perro Pier. Point-to-point for planes.

Plane Selection: Western Cuban 800, Western Duster, Buckingham Luxor, JoBuilt Mammatus, Buckingham Shamal, Western Mallard, or Jobuilt Velum.

Hints and Tips: This one was made for jets - as long as you are good at banking tight turns that is. If not, use the stunt plane.

When we say that this course was made for Jets, well, it feels like it was. High-speed, twisting and turning, Jet-action -- as long as you are comfortable with that sort of flying. If not we were not kidding about going with the Stunt Plane -- since the Duster and the other prop planes are to be too slow for you to keep up if any of your opponents choose to go with a jet.

Loose Canyon

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 15

Players: 1-8

Area: Alamo Sea

Distance: 3.86 Miles.

Figure of eight airtrack between the Alamo Sea and the Ocean. Laps follow Cassidy Creek, loop around Chiliad Mountain State Wilderness and come back. Pilots have to fly under three bridges.

Plane Selection: Western Cuban 800, Western Duster, Buckingham Luxor, JoBuilt Mammatus, Buckingham Shamal, Western Mallard, or Jobuilt Velum.

Hints and Tips: This is another race where you are really racing against yourself - trying to make as few mistakes as possible and fly as tight between the markers as you can. This is not a race that we would necessarily choose a Jet to race - just saying.

Of the planes you can pick, the Stunt Plane (Mallard) is an obvious pick, though you can also have a bit of fun with the Cuban 800...

Bear in mind that there are lots of bird flocks in the air and if you hit too many they can damage your plane -- on one of the runs through this using the Cuban 800 I had very bad luck with birds and halfway through the race my left engine was leaving a trail of oily smoke and my speed was cut back even at full-throttle! If I had not had two engines I am reasonably certain that I would not have finished that race... So try to avoid the birds...

Over the Hill

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 30

Players: 1-8

Area: Pacific Ocean

Distance:

As the duck flies, race Mallards from El Gordo Lighthouse to the west of San Andreas, and then back to the Alamo Sea. Point to point for stunt planes taking you over San Andreas' highest point, the peak of Mount Chilliad.

Plane Selection: Western Mallard (locked)

Hints and Tips: The challenge here is more or less divided between the course -- there is a lot of tight flying here, because you are basically flying nap-of-the-earth up and down mountains -- and the other half is created by the other racers.

To be blunt there are enough choke-points in this course so that having the competition flying into and wrecking you can happen whether they mean to do that or not! This is certainly one of the races in which you have to fly defensively!

When they called this one Over the Hill they were not kidding.

Air Race: Plane to Sea

Plane to Sea

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 20

Players: 1-8

Area: Mount Chiliad

Distance: 4.82 Miles.

Play crop duster on this mountain hugging, crevasse diving point-to-point for planes. From Procopie, go around Mount Gordo, and over Grapeseed's dusty farmland. Bringing out of date pesticide and a disregard for immigrant laborers is optional.

Plane Selection: Western Cuban 800, Western Duster, Buckingham Luxor, JoBuilt Mammatus, Buckingham Shamal, Western Mallard, or Jobuilt Velum.

Hints and Tips: While the official description implies that this is a course more suitable for the Crop Duster -- it is, in fact, a race that is run on a course that, while it may be suitable for a Crop Duster, is much better run using either a Western Cuban 800 or better yet, a Western Mallard.

Which plane you choose for this course depends a lot on how well you do with hard-banking for turning. If you are more comfortable using the rudder for turning than selecting the Mallard is probably the way to go but if you are comfortable enough with slewing the entire airframe as part of your turning method, then the Cuban or the Velum are suitable choices as well.

Clearly a lot will depend on which planes you think your competition will choose -- bearing in mind that anyone who picks a jet for this race -- no matter how good they really are with one -- is basically in this race to see what it feels like to come in last place.

It is fair enough to say that the turns on the course are relatively easy, that would really only be accurate if you qualify the observation by noting that pretty much all of the "easy turns" happen to also be vertical turns along the face of a mountain and its cliffs! Which is why I observed that anyone who chooses a Jet for this race is only interested in learning what last place feels like.

This is certainly one of the handful of races in which you are really flying against yourself rather than against your opponents because the course is challenging on several Levels.

While a lot of pilots believe that running the races solo, in a private session, to familiarize themselves with a race is "Cheating" when you face this sort of complicated course I don't really see how that is a rational point-of-view. I recommend you practice this one just that way - in a private session so you can take your time, and not have to worry about other players messing with you while you learn the course.

Stage Flight

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 25

Players: 1-8

Area: Vinewood Hills

Distance: 5.42 Miles.

Lap race for planes in Northern Los Santos County. Starting in the Vinewood Hills, heading north over the Redwood Lights Motocross Track, turning back south over Harmony, going up over Lake Vinewood, down into Downtown Vinewood, and ascending to the Vinewood Bowl. All things Vinewood then.

Plane Selection: Western Cuban 800, Western Duster, Buckingham Luxor, JoBuilt Mammatus, Buckingham Shamal, Western Mallard, or Jobuilt Velum.

Hints and Tips: There is no real strategy needed for this one - well, except for not flying into buildings that is! Pick the plane that you feel best fits your seat when it comes to brisk course flying with medium-tight gaps and turns that require some banking.

Most of the turns on this course qualify as "gentle" though I don't recommend Jets for this race even if it is a legitimately fast course.

Sometimes a slightly slower plane means you get to enjoy the sights rather than have them pass either side of the bubble you are sitting in as a blur -- and considering the route you will fly for this race, there are a fair bit of sights to be seen here!

In fact you are going to be hitting all of the Vinewood hot spots that the tourists actually pay to be guided on tour for which -- so hey, all of the sights if Vinewood in something like two minutes! You really can't ask for much more than that!

Special Note: If you are racing this as a "friendly" race and you can get all of the pilots to agree to select the Crop Duster, its relatively slow speed and docile handling make this a rather enjoyable "Sight-Seeing Tour" of a race.

Air races show off your prowess and skill as an aviator against other players and give you the chance to earn extra money and points

Up in the Air

Created by: Rockstar

Rank: 12

Players: 1 to 8

Area: Vinewood Hills

Distance: 2.84 Miles.

Stay above the smog with this helicopter lap race in the Vinewood hills. Starts near the Galileo Observatory, looping lake Vinewood, and going up to the Vinewood sign. Racers are forced to fly low at first, but you can climb as the track moves North.

Helicopters: Maibatsu Frogger, Buckingham Maverick, Western Cargo Bob, Western Annihilator, Nagasaki Buzzard, and Buckingham Police Maverick.

Hints and Tips: The official description is pretty accurate as far as that goes, but considering that this is one of the easiest air races in the game, it makes for a perfect first copter race for new pilots just cutting their teeth on racing against other (human) opponents.

The course is made up of gentle turns and wide spaces -- having no narrow sections at all -- just some low ones. I like the Buckingham Police Maverick for this.

The truth here is simple -- pick the copter you are the most comfortable in so you can fly this mostly by feel rather than needing to pay closer attention...

Bearing in mind that the default settings are for this to be a night race, it feels a lot different if you fly it during the daytime. No matter what time of day you fly it in however, you will want to pick a smaller and faster ride for this -- because bigger and slower just makes for more chances to mess up.

That concludes the Air Races for GTAO -- we hope that you have enjoyed our more-or-less guided tour of the races, and we hope that you found our suggestions to be helpful to you!

Everything below here is present for our convenience for cutting and pasting guides for new entries - you can safely ignore it :)

Created by: Rockstar

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Plane Selection:

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