Did you know there’s a flight simulator embedded within Google Earth? Along with the latest update comes a hidden feature which is not to be found in the release notes.

You have to install the latest version of Google Earth, start it up and hit Ctrl+Alt+A. If you’re running OS X it’s Command+Option+A. At first it didn’t work for me but when I pressed Ctrl+Windows key+A this dialog popped up:

The flight simulator comes with two aircraft options, a F16 Viper and the SR22 propeller airplane. You have the option of commencing the game from your current location in Google Earth or you can pick from a list of 27 pre-determined runways. Joystick support is available.

A comprehensive description of this Google Earth feature can be found at Marco’s Blog.