How many of you go look at planes??

[Passenger Mark]

I do it, and it helps a great deal to watch planes take off and land. If you get a chance, before your next flight, take your lunch or dinner and go sit out near the airport and just watch. And THEN remember that is just one airport. Multiply what you are seeing by thousands around the world.

[xiknal]

I work at a busy airport. I see 20-30 takeoffs and landings a day. This really normalizes those phases of flight for me! :nod

[Jeff California]

I do it too when possible.. I find it relaxing.. I also observe planes flying overhead at 35,000 feet. I live under a flight path and look at the planes every day. I will never forget how odd it was to look up and see nothing after 9/11.. There is always at least one visible, usually 3. Furthermore, I set the "all planes over USA" pic as my wallpaper all the time. Theres always 3000 of them at least.

www.flightview.com/Travel...&arrap=all (http://www.flightview.com/TravelTools/ProcessFTQuery.asp?qt=at&arrap=all)

Jeff

[cassidywithwings]

I work in Boston's Back Bay, on the 20th floor. My office has floor to ceiling windows covering every wall. If I am in the kitchen, I can see the flight path into Logan. If I am in my part of the office, I see the planes take flight and clear the tall buildings, heading off to their destination. I see them every day in and out. It really does helps to see them. :nod

[xiknal]

thanks!!

[momtotot]

I like the link too Jeff!

[YankssRule]

I love watching planes take off and land..but have no desire to be on one. It amazes me how a huge hunk of metal can fly. :airplane

Janet

[WillFlyToDisney2]

Janet,

Get Ray's book :ray . It explains how that huge hunk of metal can fly. :airplane

Kelley

[cassidywithwings]

Wow, great link Jeff. It boggles the mind that there are over 3000 flights up there right now! :eek

Kelly

[JamieAllison]

I don't go to look at planes, but I do sometimes look at that map Jeff posted about. I find it reassuring that so many planes are in the sky at one time and we never hear anything about them because they are just getting to their destinations safely. Also, when I have a trip coming up, I track my flights for weeks (sometimes even months) before I leave. My favorite tracking website is www.flightview.com.

Jamie

[Disney fan]

Love going to the airport! Love watching planes!


Lynda

[JPenny]

I just went to the link Jeff posted. What amazed me are all the over-water flights--I had no idea there were so many inter-continental flights going on all the time. WOW! It does help to realize that months and years pass between air tragedies, and that in the meanwhile all these thousands of flights occur without incident.

Jean

[Jeff California]

It truly does put things into perspective. And to think, that link only shows the USA. I wonder how many are up in the world at any given moment?

Jeff

[Passenger Mark]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/mark9091/Admin/flightsus.png

[xiknal]

I would love to see this image coupled with a tracking function!

Thanks, Mark!!

:medplane

[noflyingfan]

I love to watch airplanes. I don't like to be on them so much, but I love to watch them.

I just have to respond to something someone said about not believing a "huge chunk of metal" can fly.

I was watching some really guy-ish TV show with my boyfriend not long ago, where, just for the heck of it, they tried to see how much damage a 747's engines could do if they revved up full force on the runway. First, they lined up a bunch of portable toilets behind the plane, then revved the engines and all the toilets blew away in pieces. Then they did the same with a mobile home. It was a totally dumb TV show (it's a typical guy show -- stuff blowing up and otherwise being destroyed), but it shows you how strong those engines are and just how that big chunk of metal can fly.

[spleisher]

I LOVE to watch planes. If anyone lives in the DC metro area, go to Gravelly Point park at the north end of runway 1 at DCA. Great place to watch aircraft!!!!