You mean the speed-up thing? I honestly can't remember being able to do that!
Another thing I was noticing last night while playing... shouldn't lifting your nose cushion your landing when you drop from a big height? Nothing I do seems to prevent me from hitting the ground hard and taking damage. I remember in 2097 lifting your nose sort of let you "float" down to an extent.
Just want to make it clear though that I understand that HD is a completely new game and it's awesome in its own right!