Looking Out The Window

A personal perspective on one aspect of flight simulation. Looking out the window at the scenery has long been a portion of flight simulation. However, both Google and Microsoft have been mapping the world with both aerial and ground level photography. The public can now get a quite good aerial view and a very good view at ground level. I can tour London or Peoria, IL USA. With no flight simulation I can fly over both and with little effort, and no cost, "drive" the streets of each, and come away with an experience that is close to being there. I recently revisited Ecuador and found the hotel I stayed at in Quito. Wow did it look different. The beaches of Rio seem to have a more modern flavor and Doc Martin's house in Cornwall looked as it did on TV.

However, none of that gave me the experience of flying into a local airfield. Especially one that someone had  "enhanced". Both the visual and environmental reality of flying is quite different than roaming the streets of Bar Harbor, Maine. So, once you have landed, I hope you do so safely, then grab one of the "map" programs and have look around the area. Don't spend to much time so you can get to the airport and hop to the next destination.

BAR HARBOR