OccasionalFlyerPerson

What's the most impressive or amazing thing people have seen from a plane?

My top three are:

Flying over the Australian Outback, on a clear sunny day. Not a sign of life, but tons of texture and landscape in the red desert. Big ravines, what looked like sand deltas or something. Almost a Martian landscape.

One evening as the sun was going down, I looked out at the right moment. It looked as if the plane was flying in the dark, but there was still light on the considerable cloud cover further down. It looked as if the plane was flying in space over the Earth down below.

Flying over Northern Iran. I've done this several times, and I like seeing all the small villages in the mountainous region, with small roads joining them. A lot of the villages are tiny, and there seems to be a village in most valleys.

I've never seen anything interesting over the ocean that I remember. Neither have I flown near or over an erupting volcano. I've never flown over the Himalayas, that must be amazing. Anyone?

chris19992

Pilots tend not to fly over or near erupting volcanoes, the ash doesn't agree with the engines.

Personally, thunderstorms at night always impress me from the air, I love sitting there watching the lightning.

OccasionalFlyerPerson

If I recall correctly there was an Indonesian Airlines flight (EDIT: British Airways Flight 9 over Indonesia) that had both engines stop after flying through ash. Though, fortunately they managed to restart them. I had a quick google and there are volcano sightseeing trips (in small planes) in Iceland, Hawaii, and New Zealand. (And, I'd guess, in other places as well).

I don't think I've seen a storm. It's probably very likely that I've flown over one, but I mustn't have been looking.

Peregrine415

Northern lights during last hour of a three-hour flight from LHR to KEF. I was like a kid looking out the window while most of the passengers were sleeping.

bitburgr

Long time ago...PHX - SMF and flew over Death Valley (during the day). Absolutely amazing.

Saw fireworks while landing in PHL one time...that was neat, but not as spectacular as I thought it should have been.

Mauibaby2008

I was at Boston Harbor during the Fourth of July fireworks and saw an airplane flying over us. I thought that must have been spectacular for everyone on the plane. Wish it had been me!

CMK10

A couple of times seeing amazing thunderstorms from the air. Once while flying into North Carolina and once over Texas

Once the Northern Lights. The funny thing was, it was on a flight from PHX-ATL. It even made CNN.com as a fluke for being so far south.

mickeydfly13

Space shuttle launch from a Cessna 172 when I was in flight training in FL just east of Orlando Sanford airport. It was pre 9/11 years and we could be around 30 miles away. Was really cool.

Gamecock

All four engines failed. It was a BA 747.

pilotalan

Two things.

1 - Circular rainbow.

2 - The NASA Vehicle Assembly Building while on approach to the Shuttle Landing Facility.

obscure2k

The view of Earth from the cockpit of the Concorde at 60,000 feet

BuildingMyBento

When a flight is full, I don't much like window seats.

If not, I'm treated to views such as these.

Flying over Lake Baykal and seeing the whole island of Cyprus were interesting moments too.

jrl767

thunderstorms over the Rockies and the Great Plains on summer nights are always captivating; I've taken over 100 redeyes, and have a hard time sleeping if I think there's a chance of a good light show

the desert southwest is pretty much my favorite area to stare at from 35000 feet

the ice-covered Great Lakes are impressive also

invisible

Emeraldcity

The Northern Lights and thunderstorms. So cool.

I think everything is wonderful when flying over it. The Grand Tetons, Grand Canyon, seeing the St. Louis Arch, the Mississippi River. Seeing oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico.

I know this stuff seems silly, but everything looks so much different from the air.....