Google Earth Hides Flight Simulator

A playable flight game buried in Google Earth has been unearthed.

Inside the latest release of Google Earth, Google's satellite image software, exists a free flight simulator that allows players to fly across the globe in one of two aircraft (the F16 Viper and SR22 4) from any location.

To access the game, hit Ctrl+Alt+A on a Windows system, Command+Option+A (note it must be capital A) on a Mac, or manually selecting "Enter Flight Simulator" from the Tools menu.

Pre-listed runways, including a majority of the world's heavily-trafficked airports, can be selected so that players can launch into the air and typically be in the midst of a three-dimensional representation of the surrounding city. Planes can be controlled with either a joystiq or keyboard and mouse combination, although the keyboard tends to jerk the cockpit around, rather than smoothly flying through the sky.

Source: Marco Gallotta