najay

Rub it in.

I earned my CFIG over 20 years ago, and haven't had a chance to fly PIC in 10.
Riding in a heavy is a real bittersweet experience for me ... I love flying and I pretty much still follow the landing with an imaginary stick in my hand ... I would love to get the chance to look out the front on a landing sometime.

UAL Traveler

I've always enjoyed a good view, especially when someone else is doing the driving. However, for me, an aisle seat always trumps window, except when they are one and the same

MrSydney

Love looking out the window despite flying, alas, over water for most of my flights:SYD AKL LAX

beckoa

Same here... Aisle gives you a bit more room (w/ legs) and ability to move around...

I do like looking out during approaches in ANC, SEA and PUW (my 3 most frequented airports) and checking which way we're coming in, the traffic, spotting cops, etc. Just a cool thing to do!

Teacher49

Hey, keep your hands on the yoke and your eyes on the runway!

Aelx2k

I always love to look out the window when the plane is about to land! It's a lot of fun to try to understand what I am flying over, look at traffic on roads, see how houses are built, etc. This is especially the case whenever I'm flying to a new destination. However, I usually only get a window seat on short haul flights. I like to look out the window for about 20min before landing but I like even better not to be stuck in a window seat for 10hrs! If I'm travelling in C, though, then it's a different story!

supermasterphil

Unless, I would need to sit all the way in the back on the way to the US(last in the line for immigration), I would always go for the window seat. Usually, I prefer the left side (A seat) as it's the more natural side to lean against when you want to sleep.

Just on a recent flight, I sat in a G seat on an A330 (right seat of the middle row) and it's so disturbing to fly somewhere, you can clearly see that there is something outside and my head spins from the left to the right and back to just get a glimpse on both sides but the windows are just too far away

Flying into EWR, they usual decent goes over the part of NJ where I used to live and on the way out of EWR back to Europe, you fly over the Skyline of Manhattan, always nice to see.

Same on my usual CGN-MUC-CGN. The Cathedral and the Bayer Cross on the way into Cologne, the countryside in MUC where I grew up.

Flying into and out of FRA is pretty boring though. It's all really ugly.

There are so many more stories to tell but YES, I share this passion with you ^

Edit: let me add the following experience. Years ago, when Varig was still part of the Alliance, I flew them from Curitiba to Foz de Iguacu. It was one of the most amazing flights (due to the view) The captain flew a really nice turn around the Falls and all passengers on the left side could see the beauty of this area. It was my first time there, I was really amazed.

Aus_Mal

I'm an Aisle person - quick to deplane, easy for me to disappear into the toilet or to chat to the FA's without disturbing someone near me.

That said, I still crane my neck to see what I'm missing out on by not being near the window!

holtju2

Love to do that as well especially when sipping Krug simultaneously.

zrudeboyz

I always get the window...but my fiance also loves the window, so shortly I will be taking the Aisle

tonywestsider

Let's see...

From the left window seat on final approach flying right above Mt. Haupu and then Nawiliwili River before landing on the old runway at LIH,

Banking to the right on final approach over Pearl Harbor before landing in HNL,

Arriving from the west, where your plane banks to the left over the Mississippi River, revealing architect Eero Saarinen's brilliant St. Louis Arch before landing at STL,

A flight path similar to STL, but this time banking over Lake Michigan, seeing planner Daniel Burnham's plan for Downtown Chicago revealed before you prior to landing at ORD,

Seeing all of the orange/brown roofs of buildings making up the city of BCN prior to landing,

And also to the right of your window seat, watching the beautiful and dramatic surf following parallel to your plane while landing at DPS...

TokyoKid

I, too, definitely enjoy looking out the window should I have the chance to sit there. Once, and only once, I saw the sun set twice! The sun had just set below the horizon. At that particular moment the plane banked to the right. The timing was perfect because I could see the sun set once again below the horizon from my seat on the left side of the aircraft. It was the only time in my entire life to witness 2 sunsets in one day! It's still my most exciting sunset...ever, and I've been fortunate enough to have seen some truly magnificent ones over the Nile, from the west coast of Florida, over Mount Fuji from an airplane, and numerous others!

The thought has passed through my mind whether or not I could survive from a particular height during take-offs and landings.

I also find myself looking at aircraft as we taxi to/from the gate.

neech7

SEA: Plane flying north and then makes a U-turn around downtown Seattle to head back south towards SeaTac. The space needle and other buildings in downtown, plus the two stadiums are fascinating to look at.

While not during descend, I love it when the plane is flying just above the clouds during sunset or sunrise. It's like you're floating on a sea of cotton candy, with the orange fireball on the horizon. It's so cool!

3timesalady

I do, especially when flying into my old hometown of Chicago or the place where I grew up, near Detroit.

When I fly into DTW, I can recognize places where I used to hang out, work, etc. -- it's very nostalgic.

UNITED959

Gunfire is very visible from the air, especially at night.