Related article: Traffic analysis of this post
Some time last week, Google expanded Google Earth with Google Sky. As fascinating as Google Sky is, that's not the focus of this post. Along with the latest update comes a hidden feature of which I cannot seem to find any other information about. It's not in the release notes and a search on Google produces no results. Seems Google have done one of their unpublicised updates they're becoming well-known for.
What I'm talking about is a flight simulator embedded within GE. Sounds awesome, doesn't it? If the thought amazes you as much as it did me, then might have run off and tried it for yourself. But there's a problem. Remember what I said above - it's a hidden feature!
First of all you'll have to install the latest version of GE. Once you've started it all up, then all you have to do is hit Ctrl+Alt+A (if you're running OS X it's Command+Option+A; some people have reported that Ctrl+A or Ctrl+Windows+A work when the standard Ctrl+Alt+A does not). You must be in Earth mode (i.e. not Sky mode) for this to work . If all goes as planned the following dialog should pop up:
As you can see from the screenshot there are only two aircraft to choose from at this stage. The F16 I find is much more enjoyable for a quick stint as it goes much faster than the SR22. Try both though as they're quite different flights. Then you get to pick a start position. The default option of Kathmandu runway gives you in the following scene:
Before going wild pressing random keys like I did, have a look at the controls. Sidetracking a bit, you'll notice that the top of that page gives proof that Google purposefully hid this feature:
Once you have entered flight simulator mode for the first time, you can re-enter the mode by choosing Tools > Enter Flight Simulator.Moving on though, you can get a quick start by holding Page Up for a few seconds to increase to maximum thrust (thrust meter is the left bar of the lower-left meters). Once you've accelerated to a sufficient velocity use the arrow keys to take-off. The keys are in reverse as one would expect with any flight simulator, so use the down arrow to take-off. When you've gained enough altitude then stabalise the aircraft to a straight flight path.
It can be rather tricky to get the hang of as the controls are quite sensitive. However, the same can be said of any reasonable flight simulator as that's the nature of flying. After a little fiddling around and once you're stable you should see a nice view of the Himalayas out on the horizon:
I guess this next screenshot should have come before the last, since it's what most people will see first. However, this is not as bad as it may appear. Although I admittedly was very poor when I started out, I learned with a little practice. This shot is actually of a controlled upside-down flight. If I was really out of control I wouldn't have been able to capture such a nice shot!
To round up on the screenshots, here are a couple quick ones from flying over Frankfurt and New York. They're not all that fascinating to look at, especially when compared to the real experience.
Overall, I think they've done a good job considering (assuming?) this is their first release. There are several things missing though. A major thing is that you don't get a view of the aircraft at all. It would be nice if they could add several views, including a view from within the cockpit with full controls, etc. The controls are covered well. It works with joysticks, however I couldn't find one to test with. The mouse control is very effective although switching between mouse and keyboard I found a little poor as it would jerk the aircraft.
Unfortunately with poor bandwidth in South Africa most of the scenes didn't get a chance to fully load before going out of view. I'm sure this won't be an issue with a decent line. Even without it loading in full it was still very usable, which is a big plus!
The airports are covered fairly well, with almost all major airports included in the list. Perhaps a search option could be added to search for airports, since all the data should already be available as it's displayed in the main Google Earth view. However, the locations might not have sufficient precision. I think the aircraft selection needs to be improved drastically before this is fully launched.
All-in-all I think it's a great feature Google has added to one of their top products. I still remember the days when Microsoft Flight Simulator was considered so cool and that you had to pay for! With a bit more work this has lots of potential to greatly surpass other flight simulators.
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Youtube video - startup
Youtube video - flight tips
UPDATE: If you are struggling to get into flight simulator mode then follow the instructions below to manually enable flight simulator. After enabling, go Tools -> Enter Flight Simulator.
Windows:
Download FlightSim.reg, double click on it and restart Google Earth.
Linux:
echo 1 > .googleearth/Registry/google/googleearthplus/User/flightsim/isenabled
207 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 207 Newer› Newest»it didn't work .........
Didn't work for me at first, but after screwing around for a few minutes, it does!
Make sure you're focused on the main window or the shortcut doesn't seem to work.
doesn't work on mac :(
Awesome!
It even supports force-feedback gamepads (vibrating when you crash into the ground)...
Worked on my mac... I was just flying around in the Himilayas.
You use the down key to lift off? Isn't that exactly how most flight simulators work? The p arrow pitches forward and the down arrow pitches backward. Makes sense to me.
How long before someone denounces this as another tool for terrorists?
just about to say that myself
Just a note.. on the Windows XP laptop I tested, the key-combo was Ctrl-WindowsKey-A.
ok, this officially kicks ass. Unfortunately it sees my throttle control as the yaw control and vice versa.
great job finding this feature!
This could be used by terrorists. There, its been said. Now on to something more critical. My WingMan joystick did not work. :( Pretty fun otherwise.
Turn on 3D building and fly around San Francisco.
I cant seem to get it to work. When I click on sky mod it takes me to space. What am I doing wrong?
This aint a hidden feature, I suppose. You can reach it using the menu option - Tools --> Enter Flight Simulator
after some more tries, it worked! :)
It's not working for me, I'm pressing the 3 buttons but nothings happening.
This is not a network attack. This is a Slashdotting.
Same here: control+alt+a does nothing (linux).
A grep -rn "simulator" did show that
~/.google-earth/resources/flightsim exists, full of configuration files.
Oops: it worked in linux, but not while on sky view, only on normal earth view.
Great find! You inspired me to create a video!
Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7z6Yxs69rQ
Discussion on Shoutwire
Try heading off to San Francisco airport and press CTRL ALT A there. It didn't work for me anywhere else, but once looking at the airport.. bingo! :)c
@Vibhav: The option only activates itself after entering flight mode for the first time.
@terrorist comments: Come on, are you serious? What has this world come to that every tiny link to terrorists is made and can often overwhelm the real matter of discussion!
@youtube video: Great, thanks for that! I considered making one myself, but it honestly would have been lousy in comparison to your polished video.
Thanks for all the comments and I'm glad this is drawing its fair share of attention. Here's to hoping this gets developed into a polished product!
yep, ctrl-winkey-a
Very happy that this actually works... you have to wait about 2 minutes before it does, very random
I hope that Google makes us see the other people flying around ;) Flight simulator multiplayer mode ;D
Erm it's not that hidden. Granted you might have to play with the keys a bit to get it to work, but there is documentation regarding the feature:
http://earth.google.com/intl/en/userguide/v4/flightsim/index.html
Still, thanks for pointing it out I was looking for something to do today :)
Not bad, but if you're serious about flight simulation then you should try FSX with FSPassengers or FSFlyingSchool. They're like flying with real pilots!
Sorry wrong URLs! FSPassengers and FSFlyingSchool
not really a flight sim, more like whizz up a google map. Try X-Plane with the Google Earth or Microsoft Map mod, it lets you use the real terrain and the popular open source (?) flight sim to do this but more realistically!
Add to www.eeggs.com... MARCO ftw!
Just CTRL A works fine for me in Vista. Pressing CTRL ALT A does nothing no matter where i look first.
WOW! this is much better than encarta virtual flight tour. well done Google.
Anita
http://iwantdollars.blogspot.com (get rich online)
Works fine for me on my Intel Mac. It's a great start for Google to get in the flight sim area, and the best part is the price!
Got it to work using CTRL + Windows + A. Can't get the joystick to work have tried Joystick enabled ticked unticked and unticking then ticking the Joystick. Anything else I can try?
Works great for me.
You can't enter the simulator from Google Sky mode. Has to be the Earth mode. Thanks for the article though.
Wow very nice stuff, thanks for sharing.
Wow, I am flying on Ubuntuuuu!
For Linux use CTRL + A
I got it to work by being in normal view, then tilting the display until the sky is visible, then use the key combos as mentioned to initiate the flight sim.
Doesn't work on my Mac, 10.4.9 PPC running GE 4.2.010.1134 (beta). Is this an Intel-only feature?
@herodes: Yes, multiplayer support could be an interesting experience. It would get very chaotic around the default airport though!! Although I'm sure that can be managed by grouping users together and only allowing interaction within the group. Second Life in Google Earth?
@"Erm it's not that hidden" comment: As mentioned in my post and reiterated in my previous comment, the menu option is only unveiled after activating the simulator mode at least once with the key combination. It also states this here if you read carefully.
@"Not bad, but if you're serious about flight simulation" comment: Yes, I agree. However, if this is developed into a fully functional flight simulator, the benefits of the technologies offered by Google Earth could mean that this eventually surpasses all other flight simulators. The scenery is of top-notch quality - something other flight simulators don't offer.
@relaxedguy: Are you using Command+Option+A, which is the key combination for OS X.
wow, that's pretty awesome. BTW, it didn't detect my joystick for the first couple minutes, but now it does.
Works for me! I had to fiddle around, I followed the comment above, zoomed in, and tilted until sky was visible, then it worked.
Been wondering when they were going to do this...I can't wait for Google Theft Auto...
Nice! we could try to strike a tower!
Do you have to zoom in for it to work? That's what I did before the Ctrl+Alt+A actually worked. I'm not used to the flight controls, though.
+ Space = Space Flight Simulator?
Make sure you click on the Map window before issuing the commands. On the Mac the cursor automatically starts in the search bar on the left. Clicking on the map window and then hitting command-option-a worked on my Mac.
Not work for me :(
Upgrade NOW!
I am using a mac book. its has no page up for acceleration. is there another way. or can i change the keys.
Apparently fn+up and fn+down are used as page up and page down on the mac book.
I haven't tried, but I'm going to assume it's just a GIS flythrough with a nifty hud overlay. Cool idea to exploit it, but it's nothing new...
very very cool!
Top 50 wallpapers
What is it with you idiots and the terrorism thing? Do you say the same thing about car racing sims (the cars could loaded with explosives), or first person shooters (they could be learning our tactics)?
Haha Marco,
While I was reading your post, I was thinking "In South Africa that would never be possible", and then I saw that you were South African!
Great to meet a local guy online. Best of luck.
Michael.
yes i am using windows and the simulator only works in the earth view not the sky view..for anyone else who has trouble
@rabidrabbit: No, the flight simulator idea is nothing new. It's the combination of the detailed satellite imagery and flight simulator that make it novel. As I said before, it's still got a long way to go before being called a full-on flight simulator. But it's promising.
@"What is it with you idiots and the terrorism thing?" comment: Couldn't agree with you more. If you look at my previous comments you'll see I had the same feelings. People have been hammered so much about terrorism+planes that it's really getting out of hand. How many terrorist attacks have used planes? How many have used cars or other land vehicles?
@michael: Yes, I also had concerns about it working with our SA bandwidths, especially with the whole last-day-of-the-month rush. Goes to show how robust Google Earth is becoming! I had to fly around a couple times before I could capture the screenshots with reasonable detail though.
It takes some getting used to. at first i couldn't get off the ground. And then a series of crashes. I keep spinning too. It works, im just not good at it. FUN THOUGH
http://earth.google.com/intl/en/userguide/v4/flightsim/index.html
You guys just gotta look a little harder
I'm wondering if Google borrowed some technology from http://www.flightgear.org/ ?
Nice flight...
Flight sim is bugging for me and I can't find answers anywhere else.
The plane will fly for five seconds, then the program will lock up for about 7 seconds then resume for 5 seconds and then lock up for 7 seconds. It does this over and over again. I can barely get off the ground and if I do, I cant get anywhere because its locking up every few seconds. Anyone else experiencing these problems, or does anyone have any solutions to this problem?
The reason the controls are "tricky" is that, unlike the input from a joystick, the keyboard inputs aren't self-centering -- when you press right-arrow to roll the plane right, you need to press left-arrow to stop the roll; if you look at the lower left part of the screen, you'll see the indicators for your throttle (left vertical scale, ailerons (upper horizontal scale), rudder (lower horizontal scale), and elevator (right vertical scale). Also make use of the 'center rudder and aileron' key (either 'C' or keypad 5) liberally to help.
can someone tell me how to take off? or is this just naturally glitchy?? i'm on a (intel) mac, got the flight simulator to open, but can't get anywhere using any keys.
It's not a "new" thing. It's been there for ages.
Loaded the latest version of GE, now have Sky, but no Flight Sim mentioned under Tools and Crtl Alt A does nothing.
I don't get the box which gives a choice of plane/airport. It just dumps me in the F16(guessing by the speed) at the height and location of the view I had in the Google Earth window before pressing ctrt-alt-a.
Anyone got any ideas ?
For those who say it doesn't work - go and explore the earth for a while before you try to open it up, this worked for me.
This is great info, thanks for this post ;-)
Tried the ctl-a, ctl-windows-a and ctl-alt-a combos. haven't been able to get this to work.
Being on Fedora 7 I pressed left and right Ctrl and then a to activate it
Downloaded the latest version of google earth (4.2). Startup up google earth, closed the tips box. Pressed Control+Alt+A, and the select a plane screen popped up.
Windows XP SP2, Desktop Computer, Standard Keyboard and Mouse.
Umm...if you go within Tools...you will see that the Flight Sim is an option...
Nothing new I guess. Cool feature though. I wonder what Google has planned in the long run...
@lbizkit69us: That page wasn't linked to from anywhere and therefore wasn't crawled by Google. Since I and many others have linked to it, Google is now crawling and including it in its search results. Trust me, I search all over for any other reference before posting.
@"The reason the controls are "tricky" is that" comment: Unfortunately I don't have a joystick to test it out, but I would imagine it would make controlling the aircraft easier. Thanks for the tips.
@"can someone tell me how to take off?" comment: I included a brief guide in the post. If you're on a macbook without page up/down, then use fn+up/down to increase/decrease the throttle instead.
@cheesepuff: Since it's the first release and on top of it it's hidden (i.e. likely pre-beta quality) it's quite possible it's a bug. What OS you running?
@mark: Another thing some people have commented on is that it will only start if the main viewing area has focus.
@"Umm...if you go within Tools" comment: Please read my post. It's all explained there.
I'm amazed at how much attention this has drawn. I'm beginning to wonder if Google hid this on purpose in the hope that they would draw more attention by doing so.
Great little program from Google. To make it a little more like a Flight Simulator add some sound. If you use Enviro or similar, copy the ai single prop sound from the main sound folder of Flightsim, give it a hot-key and you now have sound and visual. Same for jet plane.
Yepp its true it works i just installed it and its working i found it vas working better with the mouse thou to fly it
it works great on a mac and a 10mb connection!
rick
friends.ac
It also works with the mouse for the flight controls... it's a lot easier for me that way...
Blue skies!!!
Jerry
Thank you for the time you generously took to let us know about this.
From someone not very skilled with a PC.
Just to confirm: on my pc ctrl + windows key + a works, none of the other combinations. (windows vista, dutch settings)
For those of you who can't get it to work in sky view just get your Earth view about 3500'ASL then "tilt" the view and try Ctl+Alt+a. I just downloaded and that was the only way I could get it to come up. After that it is on the Tools menu.
it even works in linux
@pop: I agree, it is missing sound. Thanks for the tip!
@rick: Please don't test my patience over our sloppy lines here. ;) I'm so missing that Gbit line I had in Croatia last month.
@jerry: I've started getting used to the mouse controls and they definitely are a lot easier. I still want to get my hands on a joystick though.
If you're on Linux and can't get it started you can replace the "0" in the following file with a "1", after which the flight simulator will be enabled in the Tools menu.
~/.googleearth/Registry/google/\
googleearthplus/User/flightsim/isenabled
I haven't discovered the location of the registry entry on Windows (I'm more a Linux user ;P).
Fun! I just took off from SFO, flew down to Mountain View to buzz the Google Earth team, flew over the Bay Bridge to see if this weekend's construction has fixed the infamous break in the bridge (I couldn't tell while flying, but I checked back later, and it hasn't), then got so distracted by the amazing sketchup model of SBC Park that I flew right into the stands. (Who needs terrorists with people like me in the skies?)
Well, actually, I flew right through the stands; you can go through buildings with no ill effects. Google has apparently perfected Dr. Banzai's oscillation overthruster.
Unfortunately, having expected to crash, I didn't pull up; so, coming out the other side of the Park, I hit 0' altitude and apparently splattered all over 3rd St.
The Windows Registry key is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Earth Plus\FlightSim, and the value is IsEnabled. It's a DWORD, and should be 1 to enable the menu item. Create the key and value if they don't exist.
If you're completely lost in Regedit, here's an easier way:
So, if the flight sim won't start for you on Windows:
* Fire up Notepad
* Paste in the lines after "CUT HERE"
* Save the file as FlightSim.reg
* Double-click FlightSim.reg; if Windows asks for permission to import, allow it
* Restart Google Earth
* Go to the Tools | Enter Flight Simulator... menu item
--- CUT HERE ---
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Google\Google Earth Plus\FlightSim]
"IsEnabled"=dword:00000001
not so cool....... :-(
just another sloppy way to rotate the google earth... will be cool if I can watch/crash with other people flying around
I'm a terrorist, I'm totally not going to use this. I prefer MS sim.
@andy b.: Great, thanks! To make it even easier you can grab the reg file here and double-click on it.
So what Mr science master. Lets see if u can do this trick?? Get depressed and do nothing all day????Can u do that boy????Thought NOT!!!
Thanks for find the news peoples real need ;)
real good
All, You can also use ChartGEEK Charts (Aviation Sectionals and TACs) in Google Earth with the flight simulation mode! Take a look at the home page www.ChartGEEK.com for a couple pictures.
Regards, Richard ChartGEEK Charts
Works on MBP 10.4.10, GE 4.2.180.1134
Press CMD + ALT + A
D Y N A M I T E !!!
GRAZIE from ITALY!! LoL
can you share us how you find out this feature?
more details? check: http://earth.google.com/intl/en/userguide/v4/flightsim/index.html
To achieve a better flight control, try keys commands as FS features (alt number pad)
In latest version:
4.2.0181.2634 (beta)
Build Date
Aug 21 2007
Build Time
16:41:33
You can go to TOOLS > ENTER FLIGHT SIMULATOR...
can some1 please help i cant get it to work.
It only worked in "Earth View" for me
@jason: Was waiting for someone to pop the question. :) In short, it involved exploring the .googleearth config directory and finding the flightsim directory. After spotting that and getting nothing out of a Google search I dug deeper. After some searching I started trying random key combinations and got lucky I guess. Difficult to remember in detail, but that sums it up roughly.
@all those that can't get it to work: Check the update in the post, which gives an alternate method.
Right, Ive been flying round google earth since it first came out using the flight control option in the navigation page in the options menu. Has no one else actually noticed this?
Google - immer wieder für eine Überraschung gut! Mal sehen was da noch so an versteckten Funktionen entdeckt wird….
Gleiches Thema auch auf der AviComm: http://www.aviation-community.de/index.php/2007/09/03/rundfluge-mit-google-earth/
cu!
Smitty
very nice! thanks!
@marco, thanks for the explanations
Very nice job
complimenti! you are in the most famous italian newspaper!
http://www.repubblica.it/2007/05/sezioni/scienza_e_tecnologia/google6/simulatore-volo/simulatore-volo.html
Great find - thanks for sharing! Off to circle my house again ...
Hi Marco,
Do I have your permission to direct my Flight Sim readers to your blog page...I am sure that they would be interested, since my publication 'AV CONCEPTS' specialises in FlightSim and 3D with various enhancements.
Regards
Tony Shapps
Editor: 'Av Concepts'; subscibe by sending an email to me at:
mailto:tony@shapps.myzen.co.uk
Hi Marco it's strange but i'm Stefano Gallotta. I live at Naples and we are probably relatives because i have got relatives in SouthAfrica. This is my mail stefanogallotta84@fastwebnet.it
bye bye see you later
Neat!
Here's some programming you might appreciate:
http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~yweiss/Colorization/
very awesome, thanks for discovering and posting.
www.shullovox.com
I'm hoping someone figures out how to input a flight path and have this baby follow it.
Perhaps some lat long way points.
This would be excellent.
You know, this has the same look, feel, controls, responsiveness of Chuck Yeager's Advanced Flight Trainer. Though I cannot recall a HUD on any of those A/C.
In 1988, I played that until I lost my mind.
@luke: I've heard people mentioning this. While I haven't explored it, some say this is very different, especially th