Fun With Google Earth
Flight Simulator
A neat tool provided on Google Earth when downloaded is the Google Earth Flight Simulator. As you know, Google Earth combines numerous images and satellite imagery together. However with the Flight Simulator, you are virtually given a new way to view the imagery, as though you were flying an airplane. The controls are very much like that of a plane, and it takes a lot of practice to really understand it. The basic controls: Left arrow, tilts the plane left; Right arrow, tilts the plane right; Up arrow: Tilts plane down; and Down arrow: Tilts plane up. Additionally, the flight simulator provides your current altitude to give you an idea of the scale at which you are viewing these compiled images. It takes a lot of practice to stay afloat for several minutes. After making that leap, you can then proceed to learn how to take off from an airbase, and even trickier, learn to dismount. It takes practice to really understand the intricate controls. Now you can have a slight idea of the training that pilots undergo. Try it out now!
Geocaching
There is another activity available that is available outside of Google Earth. This activity is geocaching, which is a “high-tech treasure hunt” played with GPS devices (Groundspeak Inc., 2010) By traveling around the world, these “treasure hunters” document and share their experiences with others. There are currently over one million ‘geocaches’ available on the main website for geocaching, available here. With Google Earth, there is a KML that displays up to five hundred geocaches on the virtual globe, the particular geocaches varying based on the scale at which you are viewing the imagery. This allows people to view the general location of the geocaches.
For more information on Flight Simulator
For more information on Geocaching
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