Google Earth’s flight simulator is now available in your browser

Friday Google announced He was making a relatively unknown feature of Google Earth available to a wider audience. The desktop version of Google Earth has had a hidden flight simulator mode since 2007, but it can now be easily accessed through a web browser without having to download or install any apps.

To jump into the virtual sky, you’ll need this Open the Google Earth website Then click on the “Explore Earth” button located near the top right corner of the page. From there you will find the “Flight Simulator” mode which can be accessed as the last option in the Tools section of the site’s top menu bar. To get the best experience, you’ll first need to find an interesting part of the world to explore, which was the first locale that caught me in the middle of featureless surroundings. You’ll also want to make sure you change the Google Earth basemap type from Map to Satellite for a realistic experience.

Google has shared a Help page detailing how to use the keyboard or mouse To control your aircraft. While the experience is not as complex or realistic as you would get in games like Microsoft Flight SimulatorHowever, the Google Earth simulator will still require a little practice to guide your plane where you want it to go without crashing. But if your flight ends in an unplanned collision with terrain, the simulator will pause and give you the option to reset your plane to a safe altitude again.