How to Use the Google Earth Flight Simulator

Open the simulator., Establish your settings., At the bottom of the box click "Start Flight". , Wait a few seconds for the map to load. , Choose all the airports you will be landing at regularly., Open up the sidebar.

6 Steps 2 min read Medium

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Open the simulator.

    Open up the drop-down Tools menu in the top toolbar of Google Earth.

    If you have an earlier version than v4.3, access the flight simulator by pressing Control+Alt+A, Control+A, or Command+Option+A then pressing enter.

    After this feature has been activated at least once, it appears under the tools menu.
  2. Step 2: Establish your settings.

    A small window should now open up.

    There are three parts to this: aircraft, start position and joystick.

    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
    - You can either your current view, starting off from an airport of a major city 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. ,,, Since it is almost impossible to see the runways without aids, take every runway you might land at, and draw a path along the length of the runway.

    Make the runways of different colours and set the width to 5mm.

    The runways are very clearly visible in mid-air now. , Turn on Borders/Labels and Transportation.

    Again, this is to help you navigate.
  3. Step 3: At the bottom of the box click "Start Flight".

  4. Step 4: Wait a few seconds for the map to load.

  5. Step 5: Choose all the airports you will be landing at regularly.

  6. Step 6: Open up the sidebar.

Detailed Guide

Open up the drop-down Tools menu in the top toolbar of Google Earth.

If you have an earlier version than v4.3, access the flight simulator by pressing Control+Alt+A, Control+A, or Command+Option+A then pressing enter.

After this feature has been activated at least once, it appears under the tools menu.

A small window should now open up.

There are three parts to this: aircraft, start position and joystick.

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
- You can either your current view, starting off from an airport of a major city 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. ,,, Since it is almost impossible to see the runways without aids, take every runway you might land at, and draw a path along the length of the runway.

Make the runways of different colours and set the width to 5mm.

The runways are very clearly visible in mid-air now. , Turn on Borders/Labels and Transportation.

Again, this is to help you navigate.

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Kelly Sullivan

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