Let's ignore the iPod for a minute and talk about Google Earth.★
Last night I had a crazy dream, it involved me helping an injured pilot fly his boeing 747. I raced into the cockpit, sat down at the controls, and tapped the plane into a slow turn by pressing the left arrow key and then centering the ailerons with a quick tap of the c key. I then withdrew the landing gear and adjusted the flaps to 0% with the g and shift+f keys respectively. I could see the green fields of Britain below me looking rather picturesque, so I pressed cmd+ctrl+shift+3 and took a screenshot of it.No really, that was my dream - presumably because I had just discovered the new easter egg flight simulator in the new Google Earth (4.2) the night before.
I read about it in this week's NewScientist, and couldn't resist giving it a shot. You have to press cmd+option+a firmly (and maybe more than once) to get it working, but then you can get started.
Google has listed the flight controls here and I'd recommend reading them before using the simulator.
Unfortunately you can't see your plane in 3rd person perspective and there aren't any of the noises you'd associate with flight or any sound at all actually. But it's fun enough just silently cruising around the world. I'm now following the Nile River on my way to see the Pyramids, so I have to take my leave: I'm losing altitude.
Labels: google earth, news
★ 0 Comments. | By Skippy, Saturday, September 8, 2007 8:43 AM | Links to this post
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