Welcome to RAN Air Wing
A browser flight sim of HMAS Melbourne and her air wing, set in 1977-1982, and a blog that tells the history behind it.
RAN Air Wing is a flight simulator that runs in a web browser. You launch a Skyhawk from the catapult of HMAS Melbourne (R21), fly a circuit, and try to catch a wire on the angled deck.
The sim is set between 1977 and 1982, the last years Australia operated a fixed-wing aircraft carrier. Melbourne was decommissioned in June 1982, which is where the setting ends.
What is in it today
- The carrier at sea, with seven sea states, a time-of-day slider and a ship that pitches, rolls and heaves.
- A flyable A-4G Skyhawk with a catapult launch and an arrested landing.
- Seven cameras, from a cockpit view to a flyby.
- A guided tutorial. Press U to start it.
What this blog will cover
One post a day for the next 90 days, in six groups:
- Ship history. HMAS Melbourne from build to disposal.
- Air wing. The squadrons and aircraft that flew from her.
- Aircraft. Profiles of the types in the sim and the ones planned.
- Carrier operations. How catapults, angled decks, landing aids and wires work, and how the sim models them.
- Dev diary. What was built, how, and what is still approximate.
- How to fly. Guides and tips.
History posts carry a list of sources. Where the sim simplifies something, the post says so.
One request
Many people who read this will know more about Melbourne than the person who built the model. If you spot a mistake in a post or in the sim, email contact@ranairwing.com or open an issue on the project's GitHub page. Corrections are published and credited.