Vizard stated that "Flight Unlimited"s "very advanced computational fluid dynamics make plane react according to spec". Buchanan lauded the fluid model for creating a "sensation of actual flight [that is nothing short of magnificent", while "PC Magazine"s staff commented that it makes "planes behave more like real aircraft than any simulator we have seen". Bob and John Nolan called the game's physics programming "groundbreaking", and Chris Ware of the "Lexington Herald-Leader" found the game to be the most accurate simulation of flight beyond "those multimillion-dollar flight simulators by fighter pilots and astronauts". Noack agreed: he wrote that the game "is about as close to flying within going to the airport". In 1996, "Computer Gaming World" presented "Flight Unlimited" with a Special Artistic Achievement Award For Physical Model. The magazine's staff praised Blackley's programming for pushing the genre "higher into the realm of simulation", and listed the game's sophisticated physics model as #5 on its list of "the 15 best ways to die in computer gaming".