Getting started

There is no install, no bundler, and no build step. The simulator is a page, some modules, and a renderer loaded from a CDN.

Prerequisites

A modern browser with ES module support (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Safari). No Node.js, no bundler, no install needed - Three.js is loaded from a CDN.

Node is optional

Node 18 or newer is needed only for the bundled static server and for running the tests. Neither is needed to fly.

Running locally

Because ES modules require a server context, open the project with any static file server. The bundled one needs no install and no dependencies:

npm run serve           # http://localhost:8080
npm run serve -- 3000   # or pick another port (the PORT variable works too)

Any other static server works just as well:

# Python
python -m http.server 8080

# Node (npx, no install)
npx serve .

# VS Code
# Install the "Live Server" extension and click "Go Live"

Then open http://localhost:8080 in your browser.

Opening the file directly will not work

A page opened from the filesystem cannot load ES modules, so the simulator has to be served rather than double-clicked. Any of the servers above is enough.

What to do next

The quickstart gets the aircraft climbing in about a minute. The controls cover every key from there.