And seeing as you are all 'puter wizards as well as gun pilots, you might like to have a 'simulated' try at 'trapping' yourself.
There are quite a few PC flight sims that provide quite realistic carrier ops including teh 'meatball', AOA indexers etc... not to mention all that other blood-curdling, adrenalin pumping fighter jock stuff like trying to shake some other 'puter nerd on teh other side of teh world off your 'virtual' tail in a gunzo dogfight
Sims to look for:
Janes F/A18
Flanker 2
Hornet Korea
Just don't forget the hook.