A reminder to get around to it, someday.  There's a note about translating arbitrary joystick input to Goog Earth controls.

https://www.reddit.com/r/flightsim/comments/8kji5a/google_earth_flight_sim_using_your_flight/

Helas, these are for windows only. There's no documentation from the goog on using a joystick with goog earth on Linux.  There is only 1 nugget about editing the drivers.ini file, from 2012.

http://mitchtech.net/mult-axis-google-earth-controller/

The Goog earth flight simulator was terrible, in that speeds increased with lower altitude, but it was the only one with real scenery for the entire planet.  Lions used to play it all the time with the keyboard when commutes were only 30 minutes.  Half day commutes ended that & all use of the thrustmaster.  Lions have never played a flight simulator with a real joystick.

The FAA actually allows flight simulators without G forces to be used for manetaining IFR proficiency.  Lions always suspected it was the G forces rather than the visuals causing the disorientation, because we've all flown simulators on instruments without any problem.  Watching videos, it's the disorientation which kills off VFR pilots, rather than the knowledge of the controls or the distractions the FAA tests.