Airship ( term ) An airship ( or ) is a recurring feature throughout the " Final Fantasy " series , having made an appearance in almost every game . Airships are a form of aerial transport , although their appearance has differed widely . Profile . Use in games . An airship is generally received towards the middle or end of the game , opening up the world to player exploration allowing one to both advance in the plot and revisit places . Gaining free access to an airship is often a major event and opens up many new sidequest s . Depending on the game , airships may be in common use over the world , or the player ' s may be the only one . Some games in which they are more common , such as " Final Fantasy XII " , provide the player with ferry services using airships , but this is more restrictive compared to the player flying anywhere they wish . Exactly how the player controls the airship has varied . In the games up to and including " Final Fantasy V " , the player could fly the airship in only four directions , except for the Nintendo DS release of " Final Fantasy IV " , which allowed piloting in eight directions . In " Final Fantasy VI " up to " Final Fantasy IX " , the player could fly the airship in three dimensions , and could turn , bank , dive and climb in any direction they wished . In " Final Fantasy X " and up to " Final Fantasy XII " , the player could not manually control their airship — while aboard they are shown a map and input a destination , and are immediately transported there . In " Final Fantasy XV " the player can again control a flying vehicle directly . In the first two titles , airships did not include any facilities , and were simply a way for the player to travel around more quickly . Beginning with " Final Fantasy III " , airships frequently feature shop s , save point s , and some sort of bed or healing service . The airships in " Final Fantasy VI " have gambling tables for roulette and craps , though they cannot be used by the player . Beginning with " Final Fantasy VI " , the playable characters not in the current party can often be found wandering the airship awaiting their turn to join . Often , a character named Cid is in charge of the airship , such as Cid Highwind and the " Highwind " in " Final Fantasy VII " , or Cid Pollendina and the " Enterprise " in " Final Fantasy IV " , among others . If Cid actually manufactures the airship , or if he simply owns it , varies . Besides the game ' s Cid , airships are often built by ancient civilizations and must be resurrected by the player , as was the case in the original " Final Fantasy " , " Final Fantasy V " , " Final Fantasy VIII " and " Final Fantasy X " . Some airships can be used as a means of transit beyond flight . The airship from " Final Fantasy V " cannot only fly , but can also be used on the surface of the water like a normal boat , and can even double as a submersible should it be required . The " Ragnarok " and the " Lunar Whale " are capable of space travel . The " Enterprise " in " Final Fantasy IV " is given a special attachment that allows it to pick up and carry the hovercraft . In " Final Fantasy VII " , chocobos can be transported in the airship , and the player can board and then exit the " Highwind " riding one . In some games , flying monsters can attack the airship and battles can occur on the main deck . The first instance of this was in " Final Fantasy III " ; enemies could attack the party on - deck on several continents . Most games since then have featured some fights taking place aboard airships . In " Final Fantasy IV " , Cecil must fight the monsters that attack the Red Wings on the deck of an airship . In " Final Fantasy VIII " , Propagators are fought inside the " Ragnarok " and not on its main deck as in most other games , while in " Final Fantasy XII " and " " , battles are fought inside and outside of airships . " Final Fantasy VI " , " VII " , and " X " feature full boss battles on the main deck . Airship fuel is often not mentioned , but when it is addressed the power sources are as varied as the crafts themselves ; the " Lunar Whale " is powered by Crystals , the " Highwind " is powered by Mako , and in " Final Fantasy IX " all airships are powered by Mist save for Regent Cid ' s " Hilda Garde " series . Airships in " Final Fantasy XII " are generally powered by skystones , but also by manufacted nethicite , the difference being that skystones do not function when flying over Jagd , while nethicite - powered airships suffer no such drawback . Appearance . In the earlier games , airships resemble carracks or galleons — wooden boats ( or in the case of the " Dreadnought " in " Final Fantasy II " , a - type warship ) , but with propellers to give them lift , fashioned like helicopters . Generally propellers set vertically along the sides provide lift while the bow or stern rotors are used for maneuvering and propulsion . The craft may also possess wings to assist in lift . In essence , they were simply normal boats with wings and propellers , literal " air - ships " . Airships of this type feature prominently in earlier " Final Fantasy " games , but do still appear in newer titles , such as " Final Fantasy XI " . Another type of airship seen in only a few of the series ' s installments actually resembles and occasionally behaves like real - life dirigibles . The two airships of " Final Fantasy VI " , the " Blackjack " and the " Falcon " , are such , along with the " Highwind " of " Final Fantasy VII " . The " Falcon " and the " Blackjack " are large zeppelins , with a balloon - like cavity filled with air and the actual airship hanging from below , propellers on both the balloon and the craft providing thrust . As with real airships , the " Highwind " utilizes moorings to " land " , essentially remaining aloft but tethered to the ground . In a few of the more recent games the airships have taken on more technologically advanced appearances , with elements of sci - fi , steampunk , and fantasy being reflected in the hull architecture ( e . g . , the " Ragnarok " from " Final Fantasy VIII " , the " Fahrenheit " from " Final Fantasy X " , and the " Galbana " from " Final Fantasy XII : Revenant Wings " ) . Limitations . The airship provides a quicker , easier way to travel throughout the game world , enabling the bypass of large expanses without encountering enemies . Some areas are unreachable without the use of an airship , which may be needed to progress the game further . Most airships can land on certain terrain , restricting access to some areas — they can land only on grassland and cannot land on mountains , deserts or forests . In " Final Fantasy III " , the " Enterprise " can only land in water , because it was originally a boat . Often when an airship cannot cross these areas , a chocobo may be needed , or the player may have to walk . In " Final Fantasy X " and " Final Fantasy XII " , the player cannot fly their airship freely , so this restriction doesn ' t apply . Depending on the game , other airships have other limitations . Firstly in " Final Fantasy III " , none of the airships could cross mountain ranges and only the " Invincible " can pass over small parts of mountainous terrain . In " Final Fantasy IV " , at first , the " Falcon " cannot fly over magma until it is remodeled , and the " Lunar Whale " cannot enter the underworld because it is too large to pass through the crater . In " Final Fantasy IX " , airships are common , but s they are powered by Mist they only function on the Mist Continent . In " Final Fantasy XII " , most airships are powered by skystones , which do not work when flying over Jagd .