Select a point on the globe. Cancel
× FLIGHT SCHOOL You have the controls. EARLY BUILD 0.17
Easy is selected by default. Choose your sites and press Launch guided flight. The guide handles steering and power. Press Take control to fly manually, then Resume guidance to hand the controls back. Assisted and Insane use manual engine and throttle controls.
W / S Raise / lower throttle E Engine on / off Arrow keys Pitch and yaw Q / R Roll in Insane mode L Toggle upright assist (Assisted mode) Space Pause / resume Camera and attitude reference Chase starts behind the rocket with consistent control directions. Drag the 3D view to adjust it manually; click Chase again to reset the view. Use + / −, the mouse wheel, or a two-finger pinch to zoom. The small display beside the rocket compares its nose (mint) with local upright and level ground (white); degrees now appear there rather than on the arrow pad.
Graphics during flight Graphics quality Auto High Balanced Economy Graphics can be changed while the flight is paused.
Current coaching
Current flight details
Navigation The orange arrow shows the direction of horizontal travel toward the landing site in the current camera view. It is not an arrow-key command: controls still follow the rocket. The large circle marks the site when visible; an edge arrow guides you toward a site outside the clear view or beyond the horizon. OVER SITE means within 100 m horizontally; you must still descend safely.
Globe follows the rocket at your chosen distance. Recenter site looks along the actual 3D line from rocket to landing site while retaining a close view. Dragging temporarily adjusts the angle. After you stop, this view smoothly returns to aiming at the landing site. Recenter site restores aiming immediately. A distant site may still be outside the view or beyond the Earth’s horizon. The orange marker stays as an edge cue and moves aside when it would cover the rocket; the compact direction card remains available even with HUD collapsed. Use wheel, pinch or + / − to zoom. Path ON is a dashed engine-off estimate refreshed about every two seconds; future thrust or steering changes the real route.
Altitude is clearance above the simplified contact surface, not measured terrain. Target-platform clearance and WGS84 height are in Current flight details. The fictional N/E approach cross spans 500 m; the landing approach ring has a 500 m radius. New globe/preset decks default to 8 m above the simplified zero-height surface on a thin raised deck with visible supports; inspect and set independent heights for real terrain. These visual markings do not expand the physical platform or represent measured terrain.
Easy guided flight
Easy supports nearby routes up to 20 km and landing practice. Choose a planned peak in Mission plan, or use the suggested value based on distance. It is measured above the higher platform and is a guidance target, not a hard ceiling. Lower hops may include powered travel at a lower cruising altitude before descending. Launch guided flight begins automatically; landing practice also starts the guide. The guide manages climb, coast, travel and the landing burn with ordinary steering, thrust and fuel limits. Practice descends with the engine off before a later stopping-distance-based landing burn. The compact bottom card shows the current stage and automatic throttle; elapsed time and approximate time remaining are beside the view selector. Manual panels are hidden until you take control or override power. Estimates assume continued guidance and update about every 30 seconds. Held arrows override steering; releasing them rejoins the guide. Changing throttle or engine switches guided power OFF; turn it ON to resume. Manual overrides can still cause a crash. The optional blue route is an approximate preview, hidden by default; it is not an arrow-key instruction. Cinematic slowly moves around the rocket and hides manual controls in Easy mode. Drag to adjust it, or choose Cinematic again to resume the automatic view. All views support wheel, pinch and + / − zoom. Scores remain separate from Assisted and Insane.
Your first flights Start with Easy mode and Practice a landing. The guide manages your descent. For manual practice choose Assisted. You begin 1,200 m above the target, descending at 40 m/s. Ignite promptly; pause to read the current coaching, or open Help. Braking estimates are approximate. Use Level assist to recover upright, then adjust throttle as descent slows. Reduce thrust before you start climbing again. Aim for a gentle touchdown. Try a launch with the default nearby target before a long trip. Brief arrow-key inputs tilt the rocket; release them to stop rotating in Assisted mode. The target bearing is a compass direction, not a steering command. The initial rocket heading faces the route: ↑ tilts toward the destination and → tilts to its right. Rocket Chase stays behind it, so the nose-tilt directions normally keep matching the arrows. Severe low-altitude attitudes may require the camera to lift for clearance. The brief mint arrows around the rocket show the nose tilt commanded while a key is held, not sideways thrust or its actual travel direction. In Globe, Landing or a manually adjusted Chase, their direction changes with the view. The attitude display near the rocket shows tilt from local upright. After tilting, engine thrust follows the rocket’s nose; momentum continues until you brake. Roll changes the geographic direction of pitch and yaw. The impact marker estimates an engine-off flight, not an autopilot route.
Assisted mode damps rotation after you release a control. Insane mode retains angular motion. Optional Level assist points the rocket upright and consumes reaction-control fuel. Assisted and Insane do not land for you. Easy adds explicit route and power guidance.
The rocket and performance are fictional. Ground contact currently uses simplified surfaces. Ballistic guidance is approximate and assumes no engine thrust. This is an early build, not an aerospace training tool.