Flying Archives

June 4, 2010

Space Shuttle Atlantis over the Canary Islands

During his stay aboard the International Space Station, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi sent back many amazing photos from space via his Twitter account (@astro_soichi). A great example was just after the earthquake in Chile back in February; Soichi provided some of the first aerial photos of the damage.

Soichi landed safely back on earth earlier this week, but we thought we'd share one more of his photos. On it's final flight, Soichi captured Space Shuttle Atlantis as it prepared to dock. Far off in the distance you can see the Canary Islands, just off the northwest coast of Africa.

atlantis-canary.jpg

Google Earth Hacks user 'Googlestar' then took the file and created a proper image overlay of it (as seen above). You can download the KML file here.

Soichi posted hundreds of amazing photos during his journey in space, and I encourage you to check them out. You can view them all by browsing his Twitter account, but the easiest way is to simply visit his Twitpic page and view away. Enjoy!


Posted by mickmel at 8:12 AM | Comments (1)

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June 1, 2010

Simulating Iron Man with Google Earth

Google Earth has been used for some interesting simulations, and some folks at the 2010 Kinnernet camp built an Iron Man simulator with Google Earth at the core.

iron-man.jpg

According to their site, the ingredients included:

  • Small Crane
  • Hang glider harness
  • UAV wings (unmanned aerial vehicle)
  • large propeller
  • Virtual Reality goggles
  • FPV Ground Station
  • WiiMote
  • GlovePIE
  • Google Earth Flight Simulator
  • one brave experimenter

Each of the 250 participants at the event were invited to try it out, though not many did due to the time it takes to get all of the equipment in place.

The Wii Remote underneath the rider was used to control the Google Earth Flight Simulator, which was being shown to the rider. In the past, we've shown a few (1, 2) ways that you can use the Wii Remote to control Google Earth.

They had the user fly above Kineret Lake, Israel, which is where the convention was being held.

For more you can check out their Flickr photoset, or watch the video below for a demonstration of how it all worked:


Posted by mickmel at 8:37 AM | Comments (1)

May 19, 2010

Helicopers has been released!

As promised back in April, PlanetInAction has released their "Helicopters" game just in time for Google I/O.

helicopters_screen.jpg

The game features a very nice tutorial mode to teach you the controls, then allows you to fly on various missions in San Francisco to earn money. At this point all of the missions are simply taxi services, but they have some cool missions planned. According to them:

At this stage "Helicopters only contains 2 mission types. One is your flight training and the other is Taxi services. But stay tuned. We have a long list of very cool missions lined up for you that we will release every month. You will be chasing cars into town, locating lost boats in the bay. Night-time, rain, fog. You get it all. You may even be send down-under where you help to drive cattle on a ranch or shoot deer in the mountains of New Zealand. How about ski helitours or testing low level radar detection systems. The list of planned missions is long.

All in all, this is certainly one of the most impressive Google Earth games I've ever seen. You can read more and see some video clips in our previous post about it, but you'd be better off to simply go give it a try right now at planetinaction.com/helicopters.


Posted by mickmel at 6:56 AM | Comments (7)

May 5, 2010

Real-time 3D air traffic

We've talked about a few real-time flight tracking apps for Google Earth before, and now we've got another one - and this one is pretty slick.

Using data from an ADS-B receiver (Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast) on one of the buildings at ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences, School of Engineering (in Winterthur, Switzerland), Albert Steiner has put together a rather nice representation of the aircraft over parts of Switzerland and Central Europe.

3d-flight.jpg

Items in the display (including the information overlay in the sidebar) are updated every 10 seconds. The paths of the planes are colored to indicate height when viewed from above, and the planes themselves are nicely rendered 3D models, though all are labeled with the generic "Air Traffic in 3D" logo.

For more, you can download the KML to play with it, read more on the institute website, or check out Albert's personal site.


Posted by mickmel at 8:54 AM | Comments (2)

April 29, 2010

Amazing tour of the 1977 Tenerife Airport disaster

Peter Olsen is at it again. We recently showed you the neat 3D Disney Monorail that he created, and now he's built a 3D animated tour of the 1977 Tenerife Airport disaster.

tenerife.jpg

The tour is very impressive, and it covers the tragic events in great detail. He shows flight paths leading up to both planes arriving at Tenerife, and then 3D animations of the mistakes that led to the disaster.

This tour is an excellent example of how Google Earth can be used for educational purposes. You get the geographical reference of the planes arriving at the airport, information windows explaining what is occurring, and 3D models being moved around the airport to demonstrate the sequence of events.

You can download the tour KMZ file or read more about it in the 3D Warehouse. Nice work Peter!


Posted by mickmel at 8:33 AM | Comments (7)

More entries for this category:

  1. "Helicopters" is looking pretty cool - April 5, 2010
  2. A Google Earth flight sim with an iPhone controller - March 16, 2010
  3. Playing games in Google Earth - March 9, 2010
  4. The Scariest Airports in the Caribbean - February 26, 2010
  5. Links: Google I/O 2010, The Spaceport Field Guide, Chula Vista in 3D - February 18, 2010
  6. Google Earth in Microsoft Flight Simulator - February 5, 2010
  7. Revisiting the SpaceNavigator - January 13, 2010
  8. Take a virtual helicopter tour with the Google Earth Plug-in - December 14, 2009
  9. Links: Audi A8 with Google Earth, Liquid Galaxy, Deer Hunting, StreetView in the snow - December 10, 2009
  10. My Kite Photos in Google Earth/Maps - November 25, 2009
  11. A closer look at Africa - October 28, 2009
  12. 3D plane in flight in 3D Buildings layer - October 26, 2009
  13. Links: Race My Race, Random Hacks of Kindness, WorldView-2 - October 13, 2009
  14. Google Earth 5.1 Really Improved - September 11, 2009
  15. Links: Picasa Street View, Cool Screen, ArcExplorer Earth, SketchUp Podium Prize - August 17, 2009
  16. Planes For Google Earth Flight Simulator - August 11, 2009
  17. Amazing Find Returns to Google Earth: Lancaster Bomber - July 28, 2009
  18. Memorial to UTA Flight 772 Visible from Space - June 16, 2009
  19. Air France Flight 447 - Google Earth Map - June 9, 2009
  20. 3D Flight Tracking in Netherlands with Google Earth - May 28, 2009
  21. Fantastic Free Google Earth Game: Ships - May 18, 2009
  22. The U-2 Incident in Google Earth - May 5, 2009
  23. Swiss Fighter Video Synched - GE 5 Style - April 26, 2009
  24. Heli-Ski Tour in Google Earth - March 12, 2009
  25. Google Earth 5 Tour Roundup - February 26, 2009
  26. Google Earth 5 Cool Tip: Flight Simulator in Ocean or Mars - February 25, 2009
  27. This Google Earth File Could Make you Sick - February 20, 2009
  28. Jimmy Buffet Helps Announce Google Earth 5 - February 5, 2009
  29. Links: New GE Help Forums, DC-3 Weather Vane, NYC GE Visitor Center, Virtual Alabama Video, 360Cities Embed - January 22, 2009
  30. Fly Flight 1549 Yourself in Google Earth - January 21, 2009
  31. U-2 Spyplane Caught in Flight in Google Earth - January 5, 2009
  32. Watch Santa Claus Make his Deliveries - December 24, 2008
  33. Planes on Poles in Google Earth (plus an extra feature) - December 12, 2008
  34. Location of Steve Fossett Remains Reportedly Found - October 31, 2008
  35. WikiSailing - Flying/Sailing Sightseeing Tours in Google Earth - October 29, 2008
  36. Paragliding Simulator with Google Earth Plugin - October 23, 2008
  37. Links: Planet Search, Interactive KML, FlightSim, iPhone GPS - October 21, 2008
  38. Links: Panoramio Heat Maps, See Russia?, 1m LiDAR, Airship - October 13, 2008
  39. Location of Plane Wreck of Steve Fossett - October 2, 2008
  40. Steve Fossett Items Found Near Mammoth Lakes - October 1, 2008
  41. New Virtual Earth with 3D Clouds - September 25, 2008
  42. Links: Hurricane Ike, GeoEye Launched, Aviation Maps, McClendon in Kansas - September 8, 2008
  43. Follow a Book, Check Aeronautical Charts in Google Earth Plugin - July 31, 2008
  44. More Add-ons for Google Earth Flight Simulator - July 28, 2008
  45. Notes from the Bahamas: GE in Education, AGE More KML, Disney 3D - June 26, 2008
  46. Links: Big Dog, Plugins, Smoke, Stonehenge, SketchUp Camp, Kenya - June 13, 2008
  47. PictEarth Flies UAV with N95 Over WhereCamp - May 20, 2008
  48. Mike's Flying Bike for Google Earth - May 16, 2008
  49. Google Earth for Pilots - April 29, 2008
  50. How to Get 3D Buildings in Google Earth - April 24, 2008
  51. Links: SR22 Cockpit, Jane Austen, Magnetic Pole, Taiwan GE Bonanza, Tutorial, VE3D on Mac - March 17, 2008
  52. YouTube API on Swiss Fighter Video - March 14, 2008
  53. F-16 Cockpit Add-on For Google Earth Flight Sim - February 8, 2008
  54. Cool US Flights Visualization in Google Earth - February 7, 2008
  55. Guys Fly Balloon to 30 km Altitude - See it in Google Earth - January 25, 2008
  56. Major Geek Cred - January 17, 2008
  57. Tracking Flights in Google Earth - January 11, 2008
  58. Missed Opportunity - It's a Sign - January 9, 2008
  59. Top 25 Stories of Google Earth 2007 - December 27, 2007
  60. Astronaut Mode For Google Earth - December 18, 2007
  61. Two Old Planes Caught Close Up in Google Earth - December 9, 2007
  62. Google Earth and Santa Claus - December 7, 2007
  63. Links: Tracking Santa, Netherland Statistics, Boat Parades, OpenAerialMap - December 3, 2007
  64. News and Links - Out of Beta, Crysis, Our Dumb World, Visual ILS - November 30, 2007
  65. X PRIZE Cup Photos Mapped - November 1, 2007
  66. Trip Status, Links: PhotoOverlay tool, CIA World Factbook, Another BMNG - October 29, 2007
  67. Links: Glider Towing, 3D Bonanza, John Hanke Presentation, Google Maps Profiles, Virtual Earth 3D Modeling - October 19, 2007
  68. 2007 Wirefly X PRIZE Cup - October 8, 2007
  69. 3D Red Bull Flights in Google Earth - September 21, 2007
  70. Burning Man 2007 in Google Earth - September 18, 2007
  71. New DigitalGlobe Imagery for Steve Fossett Search - September 13, 2007
  72. Back to School - Educational Uses with Google Earth - September 11, 2007
  73. News Roundup: Flight Sim Tips, Clouds and Weather, KML 2.2, Google Solar Panels, Pollution - September 10, 2007
  74. Help Find Steve Fossett with Google Earth - September 9, 2007
  75. Flight Simulator HUD Display Guide, and an Advanced Tip - September 6, 2007
  76. Get Inside a Helicopter in Google Earth - September 5, 2007
  77. News Roundup: Flight Simulator Goodies, PhotoViewer Stuff, Video tourism - September 4, 2007
  78. Video for Flying with Google Earth Flight Simulator - September 3, 2007
  79. Flight Simulator Mode in Google Earth 4.2 - August 31, 2007
  80. Google Earth 4.2 Roundup - August 27, 2007
  81. R/C Planes and Camera Fun with Google Earth - August 12, 2007
  82. Biography of Neil Armstrong in Google Earth - August 6, 2007
  83. News Roundup: Panoramio 2 Million, Geographic Web, Loop the Loop, Starbucks, Bug in GE - June 28, 2007
  84. Pict'Earth - UAV Aerial Photography Solutions - June 19, 2007
  85. ChartGeek - Sectional Maps for Pilots in Google Earth - May 28, 2007
  86. Plane-shaped Pools in Google Earth - April 28, 2007
  87. Stephen Hawking Flies in Zero G - April 27, 2007
  88. News Roundup - Fixes for Windows Vista, Airshows, FBOWeb update, Photos with Search - March 19, 2007
  89. Meigs Field - Preserved in Google Earth - March 15, 2007
  90. Nine Planes in Formation - Faked in the Google Earth Database! - March 13, 2007
  91. NOT a Cruise Missile in Flight Over Utah - March 4, 2007
  92. Swiss Alps "Fighter" Tour in Google Earth - March 1, 2007
  93. SpaceNavigator News: Fly Inside Demo, Security Checkpoints - February 22, 2007
  94. Planes in Flight Hobby - February 13, 2007
  95. Sydney Aerial Photo Shoot - January 26, 2007
  96. Play Tour Mode in Google Earth - January 10, 2007
  97. New Imagery Update for the Holidays - Awesome! - December 17, 2006
  98. Santa's Toy Hunt and Santa Tracker in Google Earth - December 13, 2006
  99. News Roundup - Animated 3D, EmerGeo, Altered Oceans, Virtual Airlines - October 29, 2006
  100. Geotagged Photos from X PRIZE Cup, GPS Track too - October 25, 2006
  101. Flight Back from Las Cruces in Google Earth - October 23, 2006
  102. Same Day Aerial Photo in Google Earth - October 21, 2006
  103. Trip Report and News Roundup: Flight to Las Cruces, Sensors, BBC on Maps, New blog - October 18, 2006
  104. Flight of Space Ship One Depicted in Google Earth - October 12, 2006
  105. Plane Crashed into Building in New York - See Location in Google Earth - October 11, 2006
  106. Burning Man 2006 in Google Earth - October 3, 2006
  107. Take Flight Sim Scenery and Port it to Google Earth - September 28, 2006
  108. Google Earth as a "Flight Simulator" - September 15, 2006
  109. 3D 747 Airliner on Approach at Maho Beach in Google Earth - August 25, 2006
  110. Salute to the An-2 in Google Earth - August 10, 2006
  111. Goggles - Google Maps Flight Simulator, Also: Google Earth Flying - August 8, 2006
  112. FSEarth 3.0 - MS Flight Simulator and Google Earth - July 8, 2006
  113. Aeronautical Information System - June 26, 2006
  114. KC-135 Caught Refueling C-5 Galaxy in Mid-Air in Google Earth! - June 25, 2006
  115. Sightseeing Roundup for Google Earth - May 2, 2006
  116. Go Flying - Flight Tracklogs for Google Earth - April 30, 2006
  117. Tribute to 'Connie' in Google Earth - April 9, 2006
  118. FSEarth - MS Flight Simulator 2004 and Google Earth - April 6, 2006
  119. Maldives Island Group in High Res - March 24, 2006
  120. Flyagogo - A Pilot Google Maps Mashup (with GE tie-in) - March 23, 2006
  121. GlobalFlyer Attempting Third World Record - March 15, 2006
  122. Identifying Planes in Google Earth - March 1, 2006
  123. FSPilot Connects FS2004 to Google Earth - February 26, 2006
  124. Touch and Gos - February 22, 2006
  125. Follow Steve Fossett/Global Flyer in Google Earth - February 9, 2006
  126. Pilot World-wide Weather in Google Earth - February 8, 2006
  127. Gliders "Crashing" in Google Earth - February 3, 2006
  128. Flying Car? Not Really - January 23, 2006
  129. 3D Planes for Flight Tracking in Google Earth - January 19, 2006
  130. FBOWeb Flight Tracking Revisited - January 11, 2006
  131. Lancaster Bomber Caught Flying in Google Earth - January 10, 2006
  132. Slick Airfare Tool for Google Earth - December 16, 2005
  133. Planes in Flight in Google Earth (revisited) - December 6, 2005
  134. Near Real-time Flight Tracking in Google Earth - December 2, 2005
  135. The Ubiquitous DC-3 Found in Google Earth - November 23, 2005
  136. UFO Sighting Locations in Google Earth - November 4, 2005
  137. Magnalox - GPS Story Telling for Google Earth - October 19, 2005
  138. Huge Resource of 3D Glider Tracks for Google Earth - October 12, 2005
  139. Categorized African Animals in Google Earth - October 11, 2005
  140. Documenting a Recent Flying Trip - October 9, 2005
  141. Garmin Buys MotionBased - October 4, 2005
  142. Update to Planes in Flight Story - September 23, 2005
  143. Planes in Flight Captured in Google Earth - September 21, 2005
  144. MS Flight Simulator Interface - September 1, 2005
  145. Flying - Keeping a Flight Log - August 5, 2005
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