Use keyboard shortcuts to explore the world in a flight simulator.
Flight simulator requirements
While the flight simulator is designed to provide an immersive flying experience, the following limitations apply:
- Web only: The flight simulator is only available on Google Earth on web.
- Simplified flight physics: The flight simulator is designed for casual exploration rather than high-fidelity aerodynamic training.
- Dynamic loading: As you fly, 3D buildings and high-resolution imagery stream in dynamically. Flying at extreme speeds or over low-bandwidth connections may result in temporary loading delays.
Start a flight
To launch the flight simulator, do the following:
- On your computer, open Google Earth.
- At the top of the home screen, click
Explore Earth. - Open the Tools menu in the top menu bar.
- Select Flight simulator from the menu.
Flight controls and navigation
Use the following keyboard shortcuts to control your aircraft.
| Action | Keyboard control | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Increase thrust | Page up or click on-screen indicator | Accelerates the aircraft's engine speed |
| Decrease thrust | Page down or click on-screen indicator | Decelerates the aircraft's engine speed |
| Pitch down (dive) | Down arrow | Directs the nose of the plane downward to decrease altitude |
| Pitch up (climb) | Up arrow | Directs the nose of the plane upward to gain altitude |
| Roll left (bank) | Left arrow | Banks the aircraft to the left |
| Roll right (bank) | Right arrow | Banks the aircraft to the right |
| Toggle mouse controls | Click inside simulation | Alternates between mouse-guided flight controls and keyboard controls |
Crash recovery
If your aircraft makes direct impact with the ground terrain, the simulation will pause. Click You crashed! Restart to instantly restore your aircraft at a safe, playable altitude and coordinates.
Exit simulator
Click the back arrow in the upper-left corner of the flight simulator to safely exit the simulation and return to the standard Google Earth map view.
Known issues
- Terrain anomalies: When flying near ground level in regions below sea level (for example, Badwater Basin in California), you may experience occasional flashing or clipping.
- Overlapping controls: Standard map shortcut keys (such as historical imagery toggles) are deactivated during flight to avoid conflicting with flight controls.