Lumber Empire Airport: Planes, Routes and Upgrades

The Airport is beside the forest and requires 3 rebirths. For the requirements and reset effects leading up to that unlock, see the rebirth guide.

1. Go to the Airport and open the HANGARS board.
2. Buy the Crop Duster for Hangar 1 for $1,000,000.
3. Keep enough cash for your first log purchase, then check the AIRPORT route board.

The initial Crop Duster route setup carries 30 logs. If a route says NO PLANE, purchase a plane through HANGARS before trying to dispatch it. Buying the aircraft and paying for its log procurement trip are separate expenses.

Pine Valley supplies Pine logs; Maple Ridge supplies Maple logs. Compare the route costs and flight times for the same load configuration below.

The 30-log values apply to the initial Crop Duster setup. The 40-log values apply to Cargo Prop with its airport upgrade settings: those shorter flight times should not be treated as an automatic benefit of changing the plane model alone. Flight Speed also affects travel time.

• Choose Pine Valley for lower spending and shorter waits. It is the practical choice when you want a quick delivery and need to preserve cash for construction or upgrades.
• Choose Maple Ridge when you want Maple logs. Its MAPLE x3.8 label is higher than PINE x2, but the trip costs more and takes longer. That label alone does not establish a higher net profit per minute.

For other wood types and conditional sale values, use the wood and furniture reference.

1. Check the HANGARS board for a plane marked READY.
2. Select Pine Valley or Maple Ridge on the AIRPORT board.
3. Pay the displayed log purchase cost. The plane changes to FLYING, with a countdown showing the remaining flight time.
4. When the return notification appears, read the cargo type, quantity, and hangar number. Go to that hangar for the returning cargo.

For example, a Plane 1 flight dispatched for 30 Maple logs returns with a notification directing you to Hangar 1.

You can upgrade a Crop Duster while it is flying, but do not count on that purchase increasing cargo already dispatched. In the 30-log Maple trip, upgrading to Cargo Prop during the flight still resulted in the original 30 Maple logs returning.

To increase the load of an existing plane, use its $10,000,000 upgrade on the HANGARS board. Crop Duster becomes Cargo Prop, and the displayed capacity increases from 30 to 40 logs before the Cargo Hold upgrade. The plane upgrade then displays MAX; separate airport upgrades remain available.

To operate another plane:

1. Go to the Hangar 2 plot and buy it for $25,000,000.
2. Return to HANGARS and buy its Crop Duster for $1,000,000. The hangar purchase does not replace this aircraft purchase.
3. Upgrade that plane separately if you want Cargo Prop.

Hangar 3 requires Hangar 2 and is purchased at its own plot. With planes in multiple hangars, you can run more than one flight at a time.

For a larger load from your existing hangar, Cargo Prop is the lower upfront investment compared with building and equipping Hangar 2. Add a hangar when you want parallel flights, and leave cash available to pay for their routes. For spending decisions across your factory and airport, see the upgrade priorities guide.

Buy these improvements on the AIRPORT UPGRADES board. Choose the stat that addresses your current need:

• Flight Speed: improve flight speed when waiting for deliveries is your main concern.
• Cargo Hold: increase the number of logs carried per trip.
• Log Price: lower the purchase-price percentage when you want to reduce procurement costs.

Flight Speed and Cargo Hold each begin with a 100% → 108% upgrade. At 108% Cargo Hold, Cargo Prop displays 43 logs, up from its 40-log setup.

The Cargo Hold price in the table buys the step from 108% to 116%, not the earlier increase to 108%. For Log Price, the lower percentage is the improvement: it reduces the price percentage used for purchasing logs.