Scenes from an Airplane Window

[hford]

You can see many great things from an airplane window. The Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, sports stadiums, city skylines...just to name a few. Here are a few recent pictures of two beautiful scenes outside my airplane window (from a Southwest Boeing 737…of course). What is the best thing you have seen from an airplane window? My good friend Katie was once able to identify her house. She even has a picture to prove it.

[Francisco_Delga1]

Everytime I fly into ABQ from the west i can see my house. That is one of the best sites, i also enjoy looking at the beautiful mountains, or the farm lands, or even Mt. St Helens. WE LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY................This week "LUV WILL BE SEEING ABQ"..... USS BLOG BOY

[Jyl]

When I flew to Florida, we flew down the Atlantic coastline for a bit, and we flew over a giant cruise ship. And since we were flying over the beach, there were tons of single engine planes dragging advertisements and some parasailers below us. That was pretty cool. I wish I flew more often...

[pthompson]

Nice pics Hollee! I luv taking photos from the window when I fly.

[Cindy9]

OK, I know this isn't what your looking for but just couldn't help myself...;o) The best thing I've seen in recent months is sunny skies and boats on the ocean after leaving the midwest with ice 2 inches thick and more on the way!! As you get closer to landing you can see all those people in convertibles and you know that in just a couple of hours flight time you went from the polar ice cap to wearing your shorts!! Life is good!!

[Mary9]

My kids love to count the backyard swimming pools in PHX. As a country girl, I enjoy flying over the Midwest and watching the farmscapes below me.

[Megan1]

The thing I see most is farmland! Yahoo!! Never can get too much of that landing in OMA. I'm going to MCO tomorrow so hopefully I see something amazing.

[Matt]

That first pic looks like the approach into Oakland early in the morning! 🙂

[blusk]

I always try and find old World War 2 training airfields from the air. There are lots of them scattered across Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Colorado, and they all appear to have been built in the same pattern. Airports are usually easy to identify from the air, and I recently flew over both Abilene Municipal and Dyess Air Force Base. Once on a trip from Atlanta to Paris, we flew over JFK Airport in New York. Blog Boy

[Greg5]

What are swa plans at washington Dulles?

[Phil_Willman]

My absolute favorite is Mt. Hood on the approach to PDX. Just fabulous when you're sitting on the...uh...starboard....wait, maybe it's port...well, heck...the Captain's side of the aircraft. Of course, if you're on the....umm... the other side, you fly along the Columbia River. One of the coolest things I've seen is the old blimp hangars at Santa Ana NAS, which can be seen on the approach into SNA. Those were certainly an unexpected treat!

[Pamela_Kay]

One of the saddest things-flying into Orlando and seeing what I thought was a lot of swimming pools (blue) but in reality it was the tarps on top of all the house that had lost their roofs in the hurricanes. On a lighter note, seeing thunderstorms (in the distance) at night is very pretty.

[Leah4]

I, too, always LUV taking pictures out of the airplane window! I'll be doing that again when I go to & from MCO in July. 🙂

[joe-mdw-plane-d]

"I always look for the candy corn factories whenever I fly." Brian Lusk - Manager of Customer Communication and Corporate Editor as told to Ding! Boy Joe Friedmann

[richard_willman]

I like the fireworks! Departing DFW for OKC one night, we flew a detour around one of those "thunderlizards" that are so common in those parts. The strobes were zigging and zagging all over the place, and each flash revealed massive towering cumulus billowing ever upward. Magnificent! And with the Southwest flight crew, I wasn't even scared!

[FriendofBlogBoy]

Hollee, Those are GREAT pictures! The only problem is that you didn't tell us what they are pictures of! LOL As has been apparent by some earlier posts on the blog, I, too, love to take pictures out the window when I fly. I have some of my "better" ones rotating on my screen saver on my laptop so that I can reminisce about those views and keep enjoying them. Quite a few years ago, BDC (Before Digital Cameras), at the end of a family vacation that reached its furthest distance in Las Vegas, we boarded a Southwest flight to return home. Having spent several days staying at the Grand Canyon (both South and North rims), I had just observed the 'standard' flight paths out of LAS heading east back in the direction of Grand Canyon National Park. Taking advantage of Southwest's opening seating policy 🙂 , I suggested to my kids which side of the plane to sit on. Our reward was a wonderful view of one of the most beautiful areas of our country! The non-zoom pictures were not memorable (yes, Virginia, there DID used to be something called 'film'), but we thoroughly enjoyed seeing it from the air! Another time, I was returning from a trip to Vermont to see my sister, and traveling on a Rapid Reward ticket, I was able to also include a scenic tour of nearly every East Coast airport that Southwest served! Thanks to the efforts of former Speaker Jim Wright, I was able to get back to Dallas with only five or six flights, offering me the opportunity to experience the great takeoff and landing skills of the SW pilots and the friendly service of the SW FAs many times in one day. Sure, I was a bit tired of peanuts by that evening, but I saved lots of dollars on lunch and dinner. 🙂 Anyway, upon boarding one of the flights that would depart Baltimore, I purposely chose the side of the plane (you remember that open-seating policy, dontcha?) that would afford me a great view of Washington, D.C. as we flew over. Since we had not gained an appreciable amount of altitude in the short time it took to reach the Capital, I got some great, digital pictures. Now, I can repeatedly enjoy overhead views of the White House, the Capitol, the Main Mall, the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and the Pentagon on my computer screen! The only downside of being an aviation photographer/enthusiast is that in today's post-9/11 culture, I've had some occasions that my photography creates some anxiety. A few months ago, I was in a window seat, a SWA Employee from HDQ was in the center and a business lady was on the aisle in my row. After about the tenth picture, the lady leaned across and stared at me and said, "You're really creeping me out. Why are you taking pictures out the window? What do you intend to do with those?" She didn't seem to believe my explanation, even when I told her that people just like me take pictures out the windows all the time and send them in to be published in the Spirit magazine. Even after pulling out the seatback current issue and showing her a lovely photo of a sunset with a SWA winglet in the center, she was skeptical. Finally I said that I share them with some friends who work at the Southwest Airlines headquarters. At that point, the traveling SW Employee came to my defense and told the lady that what I was doing was very common and was nothing to be alarmed about. She displayed her SWA badge and the nervous pax seemed to believe her. Here comes the part of the story that Blog Boy isn't going to like, however. The Employee asked me who some of my friends were that I sent pictures to. Of course, I started out with our very own fearless leader and proudly announced, "Well, I've known Brian Lusk for several years and he likes my pictures!" My center-seat neighbor looked at me in silence for about ten seconds and then replied with her own growing sense of skepticism, "I have NO idea who that is. Who ELSE do you know?" I hurriedly tried rattling off names in a desperate attempt to gain credibility. The only thing that saved me was when I threw out, "I've never met Angela Vargo, but I've blogged with her!!" The Employee smiled, leaned back and said, "Oh, if you're a friend of Angela's, then you're fine." She proceeded to close her eyes and then slept for the remainder of the flight. Sorry 'bout that, Brian, but you need to hire a better internal PR agent! (hint hint) LOL Kim 🙂

[Toki_Wartooth]

I recently flew SWA and next to the window was an AA employee who was flying SWA because he didnt want to give any more of his money to "Mr. Our Pay" ( Gerard Arpey, AA CEO) and was showing me a website called www.pupoff.com. I had to admit , after he showed me the site , it made everything onboard from the view to the service seem more pleasant.

[blusk]

Hey Kim, no offense taken because Angela is much better looking than I am. If I was given the choice of only knowing either me or Angela, I would take Angela. Ding Boy, it takes a keen eagle eye to locate candy corn factories from the air. You have to keep an eye open to see trailers of corn syrup sneaking into out of the way rundown buildings in the bad parts of town. Blog Boy

[angela]

Kim - Are you sure they knew you said Angela Vargo? I get confused with Angela Bargo, Largo, Vargas, and Fargo. Next time you mention Brian, just refer to him as that crazy writer dude in the Executive Office...everyone knows who that is. Thanks for the story!

[Francisco_Delga1]

CANDY CORN FACTORIES?????? YOU ARE A CRAZY WRITER DUDE IN THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE..... NICELY PUT ANGELA... I AM NOW BECOMING LESS AND LESS OF A FAN OF CANDY CORN... THANKS A LOT BRIAN. BRIAN I CANNOT BELIEVE NO ONE KNOWS WHO YOU ARE... EVERYTIME I MENTION YOUR NAME WHILE FLYING I GET THE VIP TREATMENT. LAST TIME WHEN I FLEW HOME TO ABQ THEY ASKED ME WHAT THE SECRET CODE IS AND I SAID "BRIAN" BY THE TIME I LANDED THERE WAS A LIMO WAITING FOR ME.. WHEN I FLY THIS THURSDAY ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS BRIAN AND THE SOUTHWEST EMPLOYEES WILL GO CRAZY.. "YOU KNOW BRIAN??" THEY WILL EVEN UPGRADE ME TO SOUTHWEST MAKE BELIEVE FIRST CLASS. BRIAN YOU ARE A ROCK STAR IN MY BOOK.... I HATE CANDY CORN. OH HEY KIM THAT WAS QUITE A LONG BLOG ENTRY, I GUESS YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE THAT CAN GET AWAY WITH THAT.. :) USS BLOG BOY

[katie-coldwell]

I love finding Dallas landmarks--including my house (not that it's really a landmark, but it is to me) when I fly into DAL! Luckily, Dallas has a plethora of highways so it's pretty easy to get your bearings. One of my favorite sights from a plane window is on July 4. I love flying over the small towns and seeing their Independence Day fireworks from up above.

[Chris6]

My favorite sight, Hollee, is when I can just make out an Antoine's Poor Boy sandwich when flying over Harry Hines coming into Love Field. Mmmmm. Sure miss those po' boys!

[hford]

Sorry (Kim) for forgetting to include the locations! I like to keep my posts short so everyone read them but I did forgot the locations of the pictures. The pic on the left is arriving into Albuquerque in the early morning (first flight from Dallas). The pic on the right is arriving into Dallas in the evening at sunset coming back from Albuquerque. These were taken on different days but I do fly from DAL to ABQ often. Richard - I've heard that flying on the 4th of July can be a real treat. I'll have to schedule a trip for that holiday. Kim - I do agree that Washington is pretty neat from an Airplane Window.

[Francisco_Delga1]

ABQ I KNEW IT!!!!! THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT .. USS BLOG BOY

[FriendofBlogBoy]

Angela, Well, you might be correct. There is the possibility that I accidentally mispronounced your name and it came out as "H..E..R..B..K..E..L..L..E..H..E..R", but I was desperate to calm down those two ladies. And since "Brian Lusk" clearly wasn't doing anything for my credibility... Maybe you could make me a Southwest picture ID to wear on a lanyard to clear up future confusion. Just put "External Blog Boy" on it. Wait a sec, I need to remain optimistic about my job search -- since I'm hoping that description will not be accurate much longer, let's leave off the 'external' part! LOL Kim 🙂

[Vicki4]

Two different flights come to mind. One, upon leaving LAS, our SWA pilot took us over the Grand Canyon on a beautiful, sunny day. That was my first-ever time to see the Grand Canyon...it was amazing! (Flying into LAS at night was equally amazing but for completely different reasons!) The second memorable view was upon leaving SEA - I was thrilled to be sitting at the window when the plane made a long, slow swoop around Mount Rainier...even from the plane window, that mountain is BIG! I'm not a fan of flying, but I enjoy the distractions when we have great views and a little pilot chatter to tell us where we are and what we're seeing.

[hcarboy]

As a F/A for SWA, I have seen some awe-inspiring sights out of passenger windows as well as the cockpit windshield. I think the most humbling sight I remember seeing happened on September 17, 2001. It was the Monday after 9/11. I had spent the previous week stuck in Baltimore with fellow crewmembers after all air travel was halted. I arrived home to Phoenix on that Friday, and immediately volunteered to go back to work on that Sunday. I knew I couldn't sit home. On that Monday, I don't remember out city pairings, but the Captain rang me to come to the cockpit. We were flying in the Northeast, following the Hudson River. As I entered the cockpit, I was immediately struck by what the Captain wanted me to see. Off our left side was downtown Manhattan, draped in a cloud of smoke. The wind was blowing, causing the smoke to form eerie patterns. I don't know how long I sat there, but at some point I realized I had tears running down my face. None of us spoke. We each sat there silently, lost in our own private thoughts. I remember thinking I should be seeing the World Trade Centers, and just couldn't wrap my mind around the realization they were not there. To this day, whenever we fly over Manhattan, I am immediately transported back to that fateful day, and I always say a silent prayer for those who were lost on that terrible day. I don't think I'll ever see anything that will compare to that sight, and I hope I never do.

[blusk]

Hi Linda, What a moving comment, and I am so proud of you and the Flight Crews of Southwest and all the other airlines, not to mention all the Customers who got back into the skies during those very uncertain times after 9/11. In the spring of 2002, I flew into Newark (on another airline) and our approach took us down the Hudson along Manhattan, and I can remember how my heart ached when I saw the void in the skyline where the Twin Towers should have been. Speaking of New York, one of the most awe-inspiring manmade sights to be seen from an airplane window is the Statue of Liberty. Blog Boy

[joe-mdw-plane-d]

I have it on good authority that later this year, when the 500th 737 is delivered that a special livery will be unveiled. N537BL Candy corn one as it is known will be arriving at an airport near you soon. ;-) 72 and sunny here Tuesday! Ding Boy Joe Friedmann

[FriendofBlogBoy]

Joe, That's great news -- please let me know when it will be at DAL so I can rush down and take some pictures of the white, yellow and orange paint scheme! You know, I understand all about the plane numbering system for tail numbers with the N for this country, etc. Also, I read in a blog piece many moons ago about the use of the last two letters to honor a particular person. What puzzles me is what the "BL" could POSSIBLY stand for on Candy Corn One?? 🙂 🙂 :) LOL Great post, Joe!! Kim

[Justin3]

We've made the flight from Portland to Sacramento and back several times over the past couple of years taking our toddler daughter to see a doctor in California. During one winter flight, the pilot let us know that we were passing over Crater Lake shortly and, luckily, I was on the right (as in "got to see it," not "righty-tighty") side of the plane. The snow covered the mountain, and the water in the lake was the deepest blue I'd ever seen. Just a beautiful, beautiful sight.

[joe-mdw-plane-d]

You should see it Kim. Both winglets are painted as a giant candy corn. Inverted of course. 72 tuesday, snow Thursday. Only in Michigan. Ding! boy Joe Friedmann

[joe-mdw-plane-d]

Here is a practice picture of cc1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7342677@N02/422003984/ The real one will be much better! Living in a pineapple under the sea... Ding! boy Joe Friedmann

[blusk]

Kim and Ding Boy, That would be a "sweet" honor, and after all the triangular shape of candy corn symbolizes Southwest's original "Texas Triangle" cities of Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio. However, I wouldn't hold your breath too long waiting to see it. By the way, the "Bravo Lima" (BL) in the registration would have to stand for "broken liver." Blog Boy

[Phil_Willman]

Hang in there Joe! Only a couple more months of winter left for ya, right? And, wasn't our previous paint scheme a little reminiscent of candy corn? (OK, we had red instead of white...and brown instead of yellow...but still, it was kinda close....wasn't it??) :-) Oh, I'll be the first to say it -- LET THE MADNESS BEGIN!!!!! Which 12-5 matchup will be the upset this year? Anybody else hoping for Niagara to pull the first ever 16-1 upset?