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Are you glued to the plane window?

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by ken2v, Feb 4, 2014.

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  1. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Aislers need not apply …

    When I'm in the air, I'm largely glued to the window, sorting out where we are based on roads, rivers, whatever. Coming back from PHX today -- I was over for the Phoenix Open -- it's an easy task since the route is fixed though now flying into Santa Barbara there are a few new wrinkles on that end, but I'll do it on any over-land route.

    Anyone else?
     
  2. sweetcanadian

    sweetcanadian High-Roller

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    kinda sorta, more when we are ascending & descending. The airline i fly predominantly has a map that tells us where we are the whole way.
     
  3. captainron62

    captainron62 VIP Whale

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    To the point where I fatigue my neck. Saw an amazing sight on the flight home today, it was a community around an obviously man made lake that was so clear it appeared as a swimming pool from low altitude. It was perfectly symmetrical and amazingly manicured. Gave all the homes synthetic "waterfront".

    #somewhere in Nevada
     
  4. chef

    chef Resident Buffetologist

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    Yes, I've been playing that game for 20 years. I kind of miss the old days when pilots would come on the intercom and point out various landmarks.
     
  5. DonD

    DonD VIP Whale

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    If I don't get a window seat I pout through the whole flight. . . :cry:
     
  6. dfalk

    dfalk VIP Whale

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    Same here. If it's a daytime flight I'll spend more time looking out.

    My last flight it was partly cloudy and was just starting to get dark. I'm looking out the window and see this shiny object that's just hauling ass, thinking WTF is that. As it gets closer I realized that duh, its another airplane. You don't realize just how fast you're going till you see another plane flying past you in the opposite direction. Very cool thing to see.
     
  7. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    Maggie demands seats on the port side Denver to Vegas because she's sure she'll see the Grand Canyon.
     
  8. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    I used to like the window seat but now prefer the aisle after over 3 million miles. Can't win, though. If you get the window it's convenient to sleep but on a long flight crawling over people for the lavatory isn't fun. The aisle seat gas me being bumped by passengers and attendants, just when I fall asleep.

    I do like seeing the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead, Lake Las Vegas, Henderson and finally the Strip on my way in.
     
  9. SW

    SW Well-Known Member

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    Love the window seat! For viewing the landscape and being able to put head against the bulkhead to sleep.
     
  10. dmr

    dmr Registered Abuser

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    I fly semi-frequently both on business and pleasure.

    For a short flight I always (try to) get a window. If the air is clear below I do try to identify various landmarks and such.

    For a longer flight (LAS, NYC area, etc.) I will do an aisle if I can. I'm not that large, but I sure feel less cramped with an aisle seat!

    When I do take a window flying in to LAS (if I change in DEN I usually try to) I can usually tell from a long way out whether they will come in heading west (they usually do) or come in from the north on that alternate runway. I can always pick out Valley Of Fire and on some trips Bryce Canyon but they often do not fly that far north.
     
  11. Alhanalasa

    Alhanalasa Low-Roller

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    I love the window seat! Even if it's cloudy, I've still seen rainbows in air (cool since they are full circles rather than arcs) and other nifty things. When it's clear, I love seeing the landscapes. I spend much of the time rembering why people who visit New England from the southwest US say "it's so GREEN" a lot. I do feel bad crawling over people if I have to use the restroom, but I try really hard to avoid using the airplane bathrooms anyway.
     
  12. Joe

    Joe VIP Whale

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    I always go for the window because I have a 5 + hour bladder and hate having to interrupt my trip to make way for somebody to use the bathrooms. I never get up on a domestic flight.

    I honestly would prefer an aisle, but for the above mentioned reason, I take the window.
     
  13. smartone

    smartone VIP Whale

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    I'm the same way... prefer to get settled and not have to get up and down, though most of my flights are the 1 hour variety. I seldom look out the window from Reno to Las Vegas, as Mono Lake/Mammoth is about the only thing to see until Pahrump... but going longer distances, I do like to try to identify the places and areas I'm flying over.

    When I was a kid, I was obsessed with getting maps (free then) at service stations when traveling with the family. I had a ton of 'em and used to look at them all the time imagining where I'd like to travel when I got older.
     
  14. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    +1. There are map people and others. Since very young I was addicted to maps and geography. I like mapping and nav devices for real-time updates on traffic conditions, a quick read on distance, but I still visit AAA many times a year for maps. I fear that as with some basic math skills or grammar, diction and spelling, geographic literacy might seem like so much "why bother?" in an age when most everyone has a GPS device readily available.
     
  15. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    I'm just like you, ken. Always loved maps and geography. I was the map and compass guy and forward observer for my unit in Vietnam, but have always, since childhood, loved making maps.

    I always seek out the window seat and trying to figure out where we are. Last trip to Las Vegas, I knew we were over Witchita, Kansas because I could see McConnell Air Force Base and knew it because of the huge Boeing hangars that share the same airfield with the Air Force and the fairly large city and another airport just near it.

    A few moments later, clear as day, an Air Force stealth fighter passed us going in the opposite direction. I literally said WOW! My seatmate, a 20 something young lady said, "What did you just see?" When I told her, she went WOW, too.

    You can check out the route map in the back of the on flight magazine to help get your bearings. There is also a Southwest app that will show you where you are, but that's cheating!

    Damn, if I don't love going into Vegas. I always tell people when the ground goes from green to brown (summertime, of course), it won't be long. Then the Rockies, the Grand Canyon, Lake Mead and voila! Vegas, baby. Love the descent over the tile roofs and the stadium.

    Thanks for starting this thread, ken!!!:wave:
     
  16. MWJ51102

    MWJ51102 Low-Roller

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    I'm the opposite due to my one hour bladder.
     
  17. NeonTurtle14

    NeonTurtle14 I Run the Vegas Hotdog Stand

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    When I have a window, I don't really care until we're landing, when I can start picking out the LV landmarks.

    Sit on the right side of the plane and hope the pilot gets the instruction to land on runway 19R, and you'll get a great view of the strip as you come in.

    [youtube]G62bWpv81e0[/youtube]
     
  18. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    I guess the views of the Rockies and the Grand Canyon don't mean shit then.
     
  19. Royal Flusher

    Royal Flusher Savvy Gambler

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    I only look out the window to try to see Wayne Newton's house on landing.

    Shenandoah... that's my home!
     
  20. NeonTurtle14

    NeonTurtle14 I Run the Vegas Hotdog Stand

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    For me, that's accurate :) It's some rocks. And some more rocks :)
     
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