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I always spend time looking out of the window at the ground below. I try to recognize any landmarks to figure out where I am. Long story short I have noooo idea!



Is there anyone here who could look out of the window and figure out where he is?

I can and do.

Some routes are pretty easy to place, within 100 miles or so: STL-LAX

The green trees and cornfields of Missouri
The square-mile checkerboard of eastern and central Kansas
The irrigation circles of western Kansas and eastern Colorado
The mountains of south central and southwestern Colorado/northern New Mexico
The high plateaus and mesas of southern Utah/northern Arizona
The Grand Canyon/Lake Powell/Lake Mead
The low desert of western Arizona/the Colorado River/eastern California
Palm Springs
Los Angeles

You may want to consider a book entitled "America from the Air". I bought a copy years ago because I'm an airplane geek... it's pretty enjoyable.

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Thank you. I will buy that book!

My laptop has a free-standing U.S. map program. (No need for an Internet connection.) I've used it from time to time to figure out where I am. Given a general idea of a route, it's not that hard to identify cities on large-ish bodies of water. From there, the highway system is your friend.

(One afternoon I was confused by a building that was partly surrounded by a bright yellow line several feet wide. I knew where we were, but couldn't figure out what that could possibly be. It finally hit me: a school with a line of buses waiting to take children home.)

Google Earth is your friend.

Google Earth is free and lots of fun. I use it all the time, then recognize things when I fly.

That's not a bad idea at all. Heck, I have that on my macbook pro.. must look for an iPad app!

I use the AC seatback map to identify things sometimes, it's surprisingly fun and accurate. On a recent clear night flight back over the great lakes I could see Milwaukee and the curve of Lake Michigan with Chicago around it. Definitely a fun activity!

ETA: found Google Earth for iPad. Downloading it for this Thursday's flight!

or fly JetBlue / Virgin America... you'll know more or less exactly where you are any time you wish

I have occasionally been able to tell where I am by recognising the street/road pattern of a particular town, although that is relatively rare –.and relatively exciting when it happens!

I sometimes bring along sectional charts and use pilotage to figure out where I am. There are easier ways but I use it as a way to get better at aerial navigation.

On wifi enabled flights, I use Flightaware as well. There is a 15 minute lag but it is close enough.