How to Use the Google Earth Flight Simulator: Complete Guide

Did you know you can fly around the world using Google Earth's flight simulator? This uses Google Earth satellite images as the ground for a more realistic experience. You'll just need to download the free Google Earth Pro application to your computer to get started. This wikiHow will show you how to use the Google Earth flight simulator on your PC, Mac, or Linux computer.

Launching the Flight Simulator in Google Earth

To use the flight simulator, download Google Earth Pro to your computer. Launch the flight simulator by pressing Ctrl + Alt + a (Windows) or Cmd + Option + a (Mac). You can select the SR22 or F-16 aircraft to pilot.

Section 1 of 4:

Starting the Flight Simulator

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1
Download Google Earth Pro on your computer. The flight simulator is only available on the desktop application. You can download Google Earth Pro on your Windows, Mac, or Linux computer for free on the official Google website.
- Go to https://www.google.com/earth/about/versions/#download-pro in a web browser.
- Click Accept & Download.
- Install the setup.exe file.
- Launch Google Earth Pro.
2
Set your flight course (optional). If you have a specific route in mind, you can mark it on your map so it's easier to find and follow in the simulator.
- Click and drag the map to find the general area.
- Click Tools at the top and select Ruler.
- Click the Path tab.
- Click the map to assign a start point, and then drag your mouse to the end point.
- Click Save.
- Enter a name and select OK.
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3
Open the flight simulator. Click Tools in the top toolbar and select Enter Flight Simulator….
- You can also use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Alt + a (Windows) or Cmd + Option + a (Mac).
- A new window will pop up.
4
Establish your simulator settings. There are three parts to this: aircraft, start position, and joystick support.
- Aircraft: Choose the airplane you would like to fly. The SR22 is a slower plane and easier for beginners while the F-16 is for more intermediate to expert users. In this guide, we are using the F-16 as an example.
- Start Position: If you set a destination in the second step, select Current View. Otherwise, you can select an airport or your last position on the flight simulator. Beginners should use the New York airport.
- Joystick: Check the box if you are using a joystick to control your airplane.
5
Click Start Flight. This is at the bottom of the window.
- You'll need to wait a few moments for the map to load.
6
Use the sidebar to help you navigate. Click View in the top toolbar and select Sidebar.
- You can also press Ctrl + Alt + b (Windows) or Cmd + Option + b (Mac).

Section 2 of 4:

Using the HUD

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On your screen, you should see a green overlay with different lines, numbers, and words. This is your HUD.
2
Familiarize yourself with the HUD. This will help you pilot the plane properly.^{[1]
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- In the top-right corner, you'll see your speed in knots.
- At the top center, you'll see a compass.
- On the right, you'll see your vertical speed (ft) per minute. If it goes negative, it means you are going down.
- Below that is your altitude (ft) above sea level.
- The arc in the center from the screen is your main HUD. The arc is your bank angle. The parallel lines are the pitch angle in degrees; if it says 90 then you're pointed straight up and are stalling.
- On the bottom left corner, you'll see a box. The left side is the throttle, the top side is the aileron, the right side is the elevator, and the bottom is the rudder.
- Above the box, you may see your flap indicator and landing gear status. If you're using the SR22, you won't see this.

Section 3 of 4:

Controlling the Plane

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When you move the mouse down the screen, the nose will pitch up. When you move the mouse up the screen, the nose will pitch down.
Move the cursor to the right until the ground is directly to your right, then move the cursor to the bottom of the screen. This will cause you to turn to your right.
Move the cursor to the left side of the screen until the ground is directly to your left, then move the cursor to the bottom of the screen. This will cause you to turn to your left.
Angle up by moving the cursor to the bottom of the screen.
Angle down by moving the cursor to the top of the screen.

Section 4 of 4:

Landing

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Increase the thrust to maximum setting, retract the gear and flaps. You should be cruising at around 650 knots.
When you're ready to land, align the aircraft so that the path you have drawn (the runway) is completely vertical and in the center of your screen.
3
Decrease speed completely. Hold down the "Page Down" key to reduce your speed. You should lose thrust immediately.
- When you're a fair bit away from the airport, make sure that you're slow enough to land. For the F-16 and F-45, this speed is around 260 knots. If you go faster than this, you will crash.
This slows the aircraft. This will also make it a little hard to steer. Increase the flaps to 100%.
This only applies for the F-16.
Moving too quickly will cause your aircraft to crash.
This is on the right side of your HUD.
Once you are about 100 feet or so above the ground make sure you go down slowly. This is the part where you are most likely to crash. While landing you may hit the ground and bounce up, but just slowly go down again. Make sure you descend very shallowly.
9
Bring the plane to a complete stop. By now you should have landed but you're still moving. Just press both the "," and "." keys together and you will slow down to a complete stop in seconds. If you wish to brake faster, retract the flaps (by pressing shift + F).
- If you crash, a box will open with the option of exiting or resuming flight. If you resume flight you will start again directly over where you crashed. Just repeat the previous steps.

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Question

How do you go faster?

Community Answer

Hold the Page Up key, making sure you don't have flaps on. If you have flaps on, hold Shift and press F till it's gone.

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How do I maintain level flight using keyboard controls?

Community Answer

When you are level, horizontally, press c to reset your ailerons. To stay level with the ground, keep your hud at 0 degrees by clicking up and down on the arrow keys.

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Question

Is there an option for water landings?

Community Answer

No, at least not yet. If the water is deep enough, the plane will simply 'fly' through the body of water.

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