Pilotwings now available via Wii U Virtual Console

Nintendo's classic flight simulation game Pilotwings is now available on the Wii U Virtual Console worldwide, Nintendo has announced.

In Pilotwings, players use a plane, hang glider or strap on a rock belt and take to the skies, learning to navigate the wild blue yonder and earning pilot licenses. Bonus levels task players with attacking helicopters. Pilotwings for Wii U also supports GamePad-only play without a television screen.

The game is available for $7.99 via the Wii U eShop, but players who already own the Wii Virtual Console version can upgrade to the Wii U version for $1.50.

Pilotwings was originally released in December 1990 in Japan, shortly after the launch of the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was a launch title for the SNES in North America in August the following year. In 1996, its sequel, Pilotwings 64, was released for the Nintendo 64, and the original title was ported to Wii Virtual Console in 2009.