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Project ideas from Hacker News discussions.

Show HN: I made a flight simulator, except you're just a passenger

Original Article

Hacker News Discussion

📝 Discussion Summary (Click to expand)

1. Humorous/real‑world “annoyance” packs as game content
Users repeatedly suggested adding true‑to‑life flight annoyances as downloadable content – crying babies, seat‑kicking kids, reclining strangers, and the dreaded “I need to pee but the neighbor is sleeping” scenario.
- d--b: “Waiting eagerly for the 'crying baby' extension pack. The 'get to your seat' MMO. And the 'I want to pee, but the guy next to me is sleeping' campaign.”
- fortran77: “What a great idea! How about, a kid behind kicking your chair, the person in front of you abruptly putting his seat back all the way, and a person of size next to you spilling into your seat.”
- EagnaIonat: “Or the passenger who is friendly and wants your window seat, but doesn't want to straight out say it. Then turns deranged when they find out they are in the middle seat for the whole flight.”

2. Potential therapeutic / real‑world use for fear of flying
Several commenters noted that experiencing a flight from a passenger perspective in a simulator could help alleviate anxiety or serve as exposure therapy.
- lejeanvaljean: “I had fear of flying… I told that to Air France and they did not understand but this might seriously be useful.”
- rkotcher (replying): “Interesting, thanks for the idea. Would be pretty cool if this app did have some real‑world applications, beyond being a bit of a meme app.”
- aaronbrethorst: “UAL used to let you listen into the cockpit to ATC chatter… I understand this was really helpful for calming some passengers' nerves during flying.”

3. Technical/usability feedback (iOS location, login panel, refresh loops)
A noticeable chunk of the discussion focused on practical issues that broke immersion or usability, especially on mobile.
- thoughtsimple: “Seems to hate not having location access on iOS. Keeps refreshing until eventually Safari just gives up.”
- khazhoux: “Genius doesn’t always look like you expect it will. Well done! (Kill the login panel though — it wouldn’t go away for me).”
- (Implicit) rkotcher’s gratitude for the suggestions shows the team is receptive to such usability notes.

🚀 Project Ideas

Generating project ideas…

FlyCalm VR

Summary

  • A virtual reality (or desktop) simulation that places users in an airplane passenger seat with realistic cabin ambience, adjustable stressors (turbulence, crying baby, seat kicking), and guided coping tools to reduce fear of flying.
  • Core value proposition: immersive exposure therapy that lets anxious flyers practice calming techniques in a safe, controllable environment before real flights.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience People with fear of flying, frequent travelers, airlines offering passenger wellness programs
Core Feature Interactive passenger cabin experience with variable annoyances and integrated breathing/meditation guidance
Tech Stack Unity (VR) or WebXR for browser, C#/JavaScript, Web Audio API for spatial sound, optional Firebase for user progress
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: One‑time purchase ($14.99) + optional premium stressor packs ($2.99 each)

Notes

  • HN commenters expressed desire for a passenger‑focused trainer: “I have fear of flying as a passenger… I would have liked during my training” (lejeanvaljean) and noted ATC chatter helps calm nerves (aaronbrethorst).
  • Provides a practical utility for airlines to improve passenger satisfaction and could spark discussion about mental‑health tech in travel.

Airborne Mods Marketplace

Summary

  • A platform for creators to upload, share, and sell “extension packs” that add specific inflight scenarios (e.g., crying baby, seat reclining, meal service, peeing‑while‑neighbor‑asleep) to the base inflight simulator.
  • Core value proposition: enriches the simulator experience with user‑generated content that captures the humorous and frustrating realities of air travel.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Inflightsim players, modders, content creators, airlines looking for branded scenario packs
Core Feature Marketplace with search, ratings, previews, and secure purchase/download of scenario DLCs
Tech Stack Node.js/Express backend, PostgreSQL database, React frontend, OAuth for auth, CDN for asset delivery
Difficulty Medium
Monetization Revenue-ready: Platform takes 20% commission on each sale; creators set their own prices

Notes

  • Users joked about wanting a “crying baby” extension pack and “I want to pee, but the guy next to me is sleeping” campaign (d--b), showing demand for specific annoyances as DLC.
  • Encourages community creativity and could become a hub for airline‑branded training or entertainment content.

ChannelClear ATC Stream

Summary

  • A streaming app/web service that provides live or recorded Air Traffic Control chatter from major airports, mixed with optional cabin noise or white noise, and includes simple explanations for lay‑listeners.
  • Core value proposition: delivers the calming, focus‑inducing ATC audio that many flyers find soothing, accessible anytime for anxiety reduction or background focus.

Details

Key Value
Target Audience Anxious flyers, aviation enthusiasts, professionals who use ATC as focus music, podcast listeners
Core Feature Curated ATC feeds with volume mixing, offline caching, sleep timer, and optional annotations of common phrases
Tech Stack Backend: Python/FastAPI fetching from LiveATC.net APIs, storing segments; Frontend: React (web) or React Native (mobile); Streaming via HLS/WebSockets
Difficulty Low-Medium (mainly API integration and audio handling)
Monetization Revenue-ready: Subscription tier ($4.99/mo) for high‑quality streams and offline access; free tier with ads

Notes

  • Commenters highlighted the soothing effect of ATC: “UAL used to let you listen into the cockpit to ATC chatter… really helpful for calming some passengers' nerves” (aaronbrethorst) and “I like leaving it up on another screen to enjoy while I go about my workday” (tony-ay).
  • Offers a tangible wellness tool and could spark discussion about audio‑based anxiety interventions in travel contexts.

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