Air Racer gates and penalties explained
In Air Racer you fly through gates in order. Each colour means a rule: blue gates want level wings, red gates want your wings upright, rings want you through the middle and orange poles want you on the arrow's side. A mistake adds seconds to your time. A crash, or far too many G, ends the race.
The six kinds of gate
| Gate | Looks like | What to do | On screen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start gate | Two green and white pylons | Fly between them, below 370 km/h. The clock starts here. | Enter below 370 km/h |
| Wings level | Two blue and white pylons | Fly between them with your wings flat | Wings level |
| Wings upright | Two red and white pylons | Roll a quarter turn so one wing points up, fly through, roll back | Wings upright |
| Ring | A white ring that glows light blue | Fly through the middle | Through the ring |
| Single pole | One orange and white pole with an arrow sign on top | Pass on the side the arrow shows | Pass on the left / Pass on the right |
| Finish gate | Two yellow and black pylons | Fly between them. The clock stops. | Finish gate |
The two pylons of a gate stand 12 m apart and are 25 m tall. So aim for the middle, and stay below the top. A gold marker always floats over the next gate, with its distance shown below it.
How strict is each gate?
- Wings level and wings upright: your wings may be off by up to 15 degrees. That is a small tilt, so roll early and hold it steady.
- Rings: the single rings on Harbour Sprint, Fjord Slalom and Island Chicane are 8 m from the middle to the edge. The rings on Bridge Dive and Grand Final are 10 m. The rings in and around a loop are the biggest, 16 to 18 m, so they are easier to hit.
- Single poles: any height counts. Passing wide on the right side is fine and costs nothing. Only the wrong side, or flying right over the pole, costs time.
- Loop rings: the rings of a loop must be flown in order. You cannot skip the loop by flying straight to the exit.
Every penalty
| What happened | Message | Extra time |
|---|---|---|
| You missed a gate, or flew round it | Missed a gate! | +2 s |
| Your wings were not level, or not upright | Wings were not right! | +2 s |
| You passed a single pole on the wrong side | Wrong side of the pole! | +2 s |
| You hit a pylon or pole | Bonk! You hit a pole. | +3 s |
| You pulled too many G for over half a second | Too many G! | +3 s |
| You flew through the start gate too fast | Too fast at the start! | +1 s for every 10 km/h (or part of it) over 370 km/h |
Each pylon can only cost you once. Penalties only count once the clock is running, so bumping a pole while lining up for the start is free. A gate that you skip on the way to a later gate counts as missed.
The extra seconds are added to your flying time. Your medal is decided by the total: your time plus the extra seconds. The result screen shows both, like "That is 38.20 s plus 2.00 s extra."
Start gate speed examples
| Speed at the start gate | Extra time |
|---|---|
| 370 km/h or less | None |
| 371 to 380 km/h | +1 s |
| 381 to 390 km/h | +2 s |
| 391 to 400 km/h | +3 s |
What ends a race?
| What happened | Message |
|---|---|
| You flew into the ground or the water | Oops! You flew into the ground or the water. |
| You hit the bridge or the stone arch | Oops! You hit the bridge or the stone arch. Aim for the opening! |
| You pulled way too many G | Way too many G! The pilot got dizzy. |
The G limits for each plane are on how to fly the plane. After a crash, press Try again. A crash costs no coins and pays none.
Helpful messages after a mistake
After a penalty, the game gives you a short tip for the next gate:
| After | Tip |
|---|---|
| A missed gate | Follow the gold marker to the next gate. |
| Wrong wings | Line up your wings before the next gate. |
| Hitting a pylon | Leave more room beside the pylons. |
| The wrong side of a pole | Follow the arrow beside each pole. |
| Too fast at the start | Slow down before the start gate. |
| Too many G | High G! Ease the stick. |
When you fly a gate well, you may see the gate number and Clean pass!. A race with no penalties at all shows Clean flight! No penalties. on the result screen.
Common mistakes and fixes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Rolling too late for a red gate | Start the quarter roll one or two seconds before the gate |
| Rolling back too soon after a red gate | Hold the roll until you are through |
| Clipping a pylon in a turn | Aim for the middle of the gate, not the inside pylon |
| Wrong side of a slalom pole | Read the arrow early. The poles usually go left, right, left, right. |
| Over the start speed | Ease off the power, or tap the air brake, before the start gate |
See also
- All nine courses: which gates each course has.
- Tips for new pilots: clean laps first, then fast ones.
- Advanced tips: fast lines through slaloms and loops.
- Medals and coins, or play Air Racer.
