(I've been lurking on here for a while now, but this is first time posting on the forums. Hello!)
I don't know why I suddenly felt compelled, but I thought today I would advocate for Sky Skipper a little bit. It doesn't get a lot of attention, and while it may not be the best game in the word, I DO think it's a lot more fun than most people realize! Especially for those who don't have (or read) the manual.
So here are a couple very important tips:
FIRST: You CAN refill your fuel tanks (and also score way more points) if you catch only one of each type of animal consecutively. One cat, one turtle, one rabbit, one duck... then back around the course again. It doesn't have to be that specific order, but just limit yourself to getting only one of each animal before snagging another of the same type. This is essentially the point of the game -- to collect 3 sets of all 4 different animals per level. Or rather, to balance the risk vs reward of doing so. This core aspect of the game isn't perfectly obvious even if you DO have the manual, but its practically unknowable without it.
SECOND: Play Game 3! Game 1 & 2 are both a grind in my opinion -- the plane is way too slow. Game 3 speeds up the plane and makes it a lot more fun and challenging.
That's all! Hopefully this'll help somebody out there have a little more fun with Sky Skipper.