It images have to be experienced to be believed.

The great thing about a Google Earth map is that it incorporates some tools that have been available for a long time in new and innovative combinations. For years and years, we have been able to use online maps to find directions. These maps include detailed diagrams showing street names, addresses, and anything else you might need. These assets helped you to find your way anywhere in the United States. Similarly, satellites have taken photos from space for decades. What is so interesting about Google Earth maps is that they seamlessly combine these two technologies. Simply, with Google maps you can zoom in on any spot in the entire Earth! You can see trees, streets, and landmarks.

One of the neatest things about Google Earth map software is that it is interactive. Basically, anyone can put a sign post anywhere in the global Earth map. People add webcams, notes about local cultures, and links to web pages that can explain the community better. The Google Earth map, in fact, ties together the Earth for the first time. Everyone with access to the Internet can play.

All things considered, there are still some serious flaws with the Google Earth map. One of the biggest flaws is that the satellite coverage is uneven. Throughout the U.S., you can actually see your house from a thousand miles up! In large areas of the world, however, you can't zoom in on anything but the fuzzy details. Once you zoom in to within a mile of the Earth's surface, nothing is visible anymore. This is not something broken in the Google Earth program so much as a result the lack of digital pictures for some areas of the world.

I don't know why Google hasn't fix this, but the sooner they do, the earlier we will all be able to learn with the software fully.

 

No problem, since the newest version of Google Earth (4.2) has a built-in flight simulator. This is a great feature! Some parts of the world are made in 3D so that makes it even more fun.

Having problems with the simulator? This guide is a complete manual of the flight simulator and will show you how to fly your plane.

Please enjoy yourself!

How to open the flight simulator?

1. You will first need Google Earth version 4.2 or higher. You can download it for free here.
2. Now start up Google Earth.
3. Next, press Ctrl + Alt + A.
4. A window will pop up (See image below).

1. Aircraft selection

In the 4.2 version, there are only two planes available: the F16 jet fighter and the SR22 propeller airplane.

F16

This plane is for advanced pilots. The max speed is enormous, but flying it requires concentration and isn't so easy.

• Take-off speed: 210
• Maximum speed when flying straight: 1000

SR22

This is a nice plane for starters. It reacts quite well and is not too difficult to master.

• Take-off speed: 80
• Maximum speed when flying straight: 210

2. Start position

You can move to any place in Google Earth and then click "Current view" in the simulator window. Your plane will then start from the spot you selected.

You can also choose one of the 27 airport from the drop-down list. You will than start on the runway of that airport.

A third option is to start from the last position in the simulator.

3. Joystick support

Here you can turn your joystick on and off.

How to fly your airplane

I suggest you take the SR22 since this is the best plane for new players. This is a list of the controls:

1. Increase thrust: PgUp
2. Decrease thrust: PgDn
3. Aileron left: Left arrow
4. Aileron right: Right arrow
5. Elevator push: Up arrow
6. Elevator pull: Down arrow
7. Rudder left: Shift + left arrow
8. Rudder right: Shift + right arrow
9. Increase flaps: F
10. Decrease flaps: Shift + F
11. Left wheel brake: , (Comma)
12. Right wheel brake: . (Period)
13. Gear: G
14. Pause: Space
15. Toggle HUD on/off: H
16. Thrust: Generates speed
17. Aileron: Makes your plane roll to the left/right
18. Elevator: Makes your plane go up/down
19. Rudder: Makes your plane turn left/right. This is especially useful for turning on the ground.
20. Flaps: Flaps reduce your speed. Put your flaps to 100% when you're going to land.
21. Brakes: These stop your airplane. Use both brakes at the same time.
22. Gear: This opens your landing gear. (Only works on F16)

HUD

1 - Speed meter

The arrow shows your speed.

2 - Height meter

The arrow shows you height

3 - Artificial horizon

The artificial horizon consists of two parts:

First you have the lines with numbers on their sides. They display the ascent/descent rate your plane has.

The other part is the half moon above the lines. This displays your rotation.

Since my plane is on the ground standing still, my speed is 0, my altitude is around 100 and the artificial horizon also looks fine.

Crashing

If your plane crashes, a window will pop up.

You can choose to resume the flight from where you crashed, then you will respawn above the crash site.

Or, you can choose to exit the flight simulator.

Extra

Here's an in-flight picture.

I'm flying in a SR22. My speed is 150, my altitude is 600 - 700 and I'm flying a little upwards. I'm also a little bit rotated to the right.

Getting started

When the flight sim window opens, you will be presented with some options before you can actually start flying. For the moment you can choose between only two planes, the jet fighter F16 and the propeller-driven aircraft SR22, which is much easier to fly for beginners. The next option is your starting location, you can fly from your current location or choose an airport in a drop-down list. There is also the possibility to fly with joystick support, simply plug in your controller and activate the option. If you don´t have a joystick, i recommend using your mouse instead of your keyboard, it´s much simpler.

Basic flight controls

My advice is to first start from an airport from the drop-down list. When you start the simulator you will be presented with a HUD showing you different informations about your controls. The horizontal lines in the middle of the screen are showing your elevation in degrees, positive values stand for upward, negative values for downward movement. On top of the HUD is the heading orientation. The left panel indicates your speed, the right one is for altitude. At the bottom left side you find a throttle display besides other informations like rudder or yoke. If you click in the 3D view, a cursor will appear.

First you´ll have to increase your throttle. Use PageUp to go faster. While on the ground you can control your moving direction with either left (comma key) or right (period key) wheel brakes. Once you reached a sufficient speed (for the F16 you have to go up to around 300) , move your mouse down to take off. Do this slowly and controlled. When your plane is in the air press G to retract your landing gear.

The best advice is to try it yourself. Once you are up in the air the actual flying isn´t that hard (as long as you do it slow and controlled). To fly a curve simply drag your mouse to on side while dragging it down slightly. For flying a straight line, keep your cursor around the middle of your HUD. The next big exercise would be landing the plane, but i´ll keep this for yourself.

For further informations regarding keyboard combinations you can go to the flight sim userguide or hit the help button on the main flight simulator window in Google Earth.