All,
As I'm sure many of you do, I use Google Earth to check out new
locations at which I'm going to fly. Well, at an "Easter Egg" site, I
just found that Google Earth has a wonderful (at least for us)
undocumented feature which turns it into a mini flight simulator
allowing you to "fly" anywhere that you like. The original info is
at:
http://www.webware.com/8301-1_109-97...ml?tag=nl.e415

But all you have to do is run Google Earth (might need to download
latest version-that's what I have), then hit the CTRL-ALT-A keys at
the same time. This will popup a little window that allows you to
choose to "fly" in an F16 (fast) or an SR22 (a little slower) then
choose a starting location from an airport picklist or the current
view. If you have a joystick attached, it will also let you activate
that for control.

Then it shifts into flight sim mode and you can fly around. Using the
mouse is a bit hokey but it should be good with a joystick. I've
found that "F" puts the flaps down and shift-F puts them up. The "G"
key toggles the gear up and down. I really haven't played with it
more than a couple of minutes but it should be VERY useful for
checking out a new soaring location.

Later!

-Mark