Great fun, but not up to snuff
The thing that makes those games so much better than Pilotwings Resort is that those games had loads of content.
The SNES game had a great extended helicopter war scene at the end that was a great little adventure shooter. There was an overarching plot, in that the whole game was like training for the licenses to play that mission.
The N64 game had lots of maps to explore with plenty of Easter eggs. The USA map was MASSIVE - a real treat. There was some really fun boss battles. Lots of vehicles - with amazing additions like Birdman and the Jump boots. It also had beautiful music. It was made to a higher standard.
The only really decent feature of Pilotwings Resort on the 3DS is the new free play feature. I was annoyed with it at first, but it's a great little collect-a-thon. Other than that, the rewards for completion milestones are a huge letdown. A new vehicle or small new environment would have been appreciated. Just... anything.
I understand that this game was thrown together to fill out the launch lineup of the 3DS and thank God they did because it is a great game for Pilotwings fans and the only 3DS game I am interested now at launch, but I'm not going to pretend that this game is anywhere near the league of the original Pilotwings games, which were carefully crafted experiences.
So by all means get this game if you are a fan of the series or looking for a good 3DS game in this game drought, but don't expect greatness.