# Free flight simulator in your browser, over the real Earth
Fly an FPV drone or a gull over the real planet at 1:1 scale, with real aircraft and ships around you. Skydex runs in the browser on a computer, a phone or a VR headset. There's nothing to install, and you can take off without an account.
[Fly now](https://skydex.online/?goto=wings) · [Watch a flight](https://skydex.online/videos)
## Skydex in numbers
- 12 craft to fly
- 19 race tracks
- 2,649 aircraft heard now
- 237 vessels heard now
Counted at 00:42 UTC.
## What you fly
Pick a craft in Settings before take-off, or switch in flight. The drones fly on a rigid-body model with real mass, thrust and motor lag, from the 18 g whoop to the 7 kg lifter, so each one handles differently.
### Birds
| Craft | Frame | Weight | Thrust to weight | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Seagull**
The easy start: flap to climb, then glide and dive between the buildings. | – | – | – | – |
| **Seagull (realistic)**
The same flight with a detailed, animated bird. | – | – | – | – |
### FPV drones
| Craft | Frame | Weight | Thrust to weight | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Air65 whoop**
Light and quick to turn, good for tight lines through streets. | 65 mm | 18 g | 6.4:1 | – |
| **2" micro**
A small quad with more punch than a whoop. | 100 mm | 120 g | 5.1:1 | – |
| **5" freestyle**
The classic freestyle quad, made for flips and dives. | 220 mm | 600 g | 6.1:1 | – |
| **7" long-range**
Calmer and efficient, for long runs along a coast or a river. | 300 mm | 950 g | 3:1 | – |
| **5" racer**
Built for the race tracks, around 200 km/h flat out. | 210 mm | 500 g | 9:1 | – |
| **Speed X-class**
The fastest frame here, around 300 km/h. | 250 mm | 600 g | 11:1 | – |
| **10" cinelifter**
A heavy camera platform for smooth, wide passes. | 450 mm | 2 kg | 3.1:1 | – |
### Camera and cargo drones
| Craft | Frame | Weight | Thrust to weight | Payload |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Camera quad (Mavic class)**
Steady and slow to tilt, with a small payload rack. | 380 mm | 900 g | 2.3:1 | 1 kg |
| **Cargo quad**
Carries a payload rig and drops it where you aim. | 600 mm | 3 kg | 3.1:1 | 2 kg |
| **Heavy lifter**
The biggest frame here. Slow to react and very stable. | 900 mm | 7 kg | 2.6:1 | 6 kg |
Drones fly in angle mode, which levels itself, or in acro mode, where the sticks set rotation rates. Press R to switch. In Settings you can tune each drone's rates and FPV camera tilt.
## Where you fly
The whole Earth at 1:1 scale. Where Google has 3D coverage you fly over photorealistic cities, and everywhere else the world is built from OpenStreetMap buildings, roads, water and forests on real terrain. Every country and city has a page with a button that takes off right there.
[Hamburg](https://skydex.online/c/germany/hamburg/) · [Manhattan](https://skydex.online/c/united-states-of-america/new-york/) · [London](https://skydex.online/c/united-kingdom/london/) · [Paris](https://skydex.online/c/france/paris/) · [Rio de Janeiro](https://skydex.online/c/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/) · [Sydney Harbour](https://skydex.online/c/australia/sydney/) · [All countries and cities](https://skydex.online/globe/)
## Real traffic around you
The aircraft and ships you meet are real. Volunteer ADS-B receivers hear the aircraft and AIS brings the ships, so traffic shows up where a receiver covers the area. Hold X for the binoculars, keep a target in the sights and press P to add it to your collection.
[Aircraft and ship directory](https://skydex.online/directory) · [The receiver network](https://skydex.online/adsb)
## Race
There are 19 drone race tracks in 16 cities. Each has a public leaderboard, and you can race the best run as a ghost.
[Drone races and leaderboards](https://skydex.online/races)
## What you need
A browser with WebGL: Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari on a computer, phone or tablet, or the browser of a Meta Quest or PICO headset. A fast connection helps over the 3D cities. Skydex is free to play.
## Controls
- W A S D: steer. Q / E: roll. Space: climb or flap. Shift: descend.
- X: binoculars. P: catch the target in the sights.
- Enter: arm the drone. R: drone flight mode. V: camera view. G: drop a payload.
- M: map. Esc: pause. Every key can be rebound in Settings, and a gamepad or an RC transmitter works too.
A gamepad works as is. An RC transmitter set to USB joystick mode works too, with a calibration screen for the sticks. On a phone or tablet you fly with touch controls, and in a headset with the VR controllers.
## Watch a flight
- [Flying along the Elbe in Hamburg](https://skydex.online/videos/hamburg)
- [Flying over the Thames at Westminster](https://skydex.online/videos/london)
- [Flying over Central Park in Manhattan](https://skydex.online/videos/nyc)
## Questions
### Is there a free flight simulator that runs in the browser?
Yes. Open skydex.online and press Fly. It runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari with WebGL, on a computer, a phone, a tablet or a VR headset, with nothing to download and nothing to pay.
### Can I fly a plane in Skydex?
Not yet. You fly a gull or one of 10 drones. The airliners, business jets and helicopters around you are real aircraft that our receivers hear, and you can catch them with the binoculars.
### Can I fly over my own city or house?
Yes. The world is the real Earth at 1:1 scale, so you can take off anywhere. Many big cities have photorealistic 3D buildings. Elsewhere you fly over buildings, roads and forests from OpenStreetMap on real terrain.
### How realistic is the drone flight?
Each drone flies on a rigid-body model with the mass, thrust and motor lag of a real class of drone, from the 18 g whoop to the 7 kg lifter. Angle mode levels itself and acro mode doesn't. It's close enough to practise lines and stick feel, though it is a game and not a certified trainer.
### Can I use a gamepad or an RC transmitter?
Yes. A gamepad works as is. An RC transmitter in USB joystick mode works too, and the game has a calibration screen for its sticks. Every keyboard key can be rebound in Settings.
### Does it work on a phone or in VR?
Yes. Phones and tablets get touch controls. On a Meta Quest or PICO headset, open skydex.online in the headset browser and enter VR from there.
### Is it multiplayer?
Yes. Other pilots share the same sky. There is a chat, a walkie-talkie on real airband frequencies, daily missions and 19 race tracks with public leaderboards.
### Do I need an account?
No, you can take off as a guest. Signing in with Google keeps your catches, XP and race times, and keeps the photorealistic 3D cities on later visits.
### Are the aircraft and ships around me real?
Yes. Right now our receivers hear 2,649 aircraft and 237 ships. Aircraft come from volunteer ADS-B receivers and ships from AIS, so you see traffic where a receiver covers the area. Private aircraft appear without their registration.
## More to explore
- [Play Skydex](https://skydex.online/?goto=wings)
- [Drone races and leaderboards](https://skydex.online/races)
- [Flight videos](https://skydex.online/videos)
- [All countries and cities](https://skydex.online/globe/)
- [Flying weather](https://skydex.online/flying-weather/)
- [About Skydex](https://skydex.online/about)
- [This page as Markdown, for assistants](https://skydex.online/flight-simulator.md)