It does open and they do tell you how. You're not doing it right.
Now that is all cleared up. This is kinda cool for about thirty seconds, until you try to turn then start to spin and twist out of control almost getting a slight case of vertigo when the horizon is flipping, then you auger into the ground from 50,000 ft.
The ground is all 2D so it's not like you can ram into buildings or anything.