The race for the seat: who is chasing your city
Mayors, captains and governors went live a day ago. A city gets a mayor when one pilot visits it on three different days, an airport gets a captain the same way, and a region gets a governor from visits to any city or airport inside it. When we looked at the numbers this morning, not a single seat was taken. Pilots were visiting places, but nobody came back to the same city on a second day, so nobody got close.
The rule was the problem. "Three different days" lived in a FAQ answer, and nothing told you that yesterday's visit already counted as day one. So we made the race something you can see.
What changed
Every city, airport and region page has a "Race for mayor" block (captain and governor on the other pages). If the seat is free, it says how many days it takes. If someone holds it, it shows up to three pilots chasing them, with their days and how many more days each one needs to take over. Pilots who keep their visits hidden are counted but never named, and we only print dates, never times.
Your own line. Signed in, the block tells you where you stand: "You: 2 days here, 1 more day and the seat is yours", or that today's visit is already in and tomorrow is the next chance. The same line shows in the flight timer the moment a visit finishes, so you learn the rule while you are still in the air.
The lobby and the pause menu show your closest seat, with a button that takes off over that exact place.
A mission to come back. If you are on day one or two somewhere, the daily set can include "Return to a place you are racing for", pointed at that city or airport. There is also a weekly "Take a seat" mission.
Bells. You hear when a free seat is one day away, when someone is one day from taking your seat, when you held it on a tie, and once a day as a reminder if you started a race and have not been back. The bell never names a pilot who hides their visits.
Waiting seats on /mayors. Below the holders there is now a list of places with visits logged and no holder yet. These are the easiest seats to take.
Rewards
The first seat of each kind pays 100 feathers once. Holding a seat pays nothing beyond the title on your name plate. The first mayor of any city before 31 October keeps a Founding Mayor title for good, even after losing the seat.
Guests do not see the race. Visits only build up on an account, so a countdown would promise something a guest can never collect.
Want to start? Pick a city on the map, fly three minutes over it, and come back tomorrow. The mayors page shows which seats are still free.