Guessing Where The Planes Are Going Doesn't Quite Require The Same Imagination Any More!

We have been sat out in the garden this evening, and although the departing Heathrow planes don't use a flight path near our house that often, this evening they thought it might be a good idea. Seeing planes take off always has me starting to dream of holiday destinations and start thinking about planning travel! This task always required a little imagination though. Sure you can typically see the plane airline, but there is never an indication as to where it's going. One's imagination can come into play though in order to at least guess about it.

That is until now. There are a couple of smartphone applications that provide a real time overlay of plane locations over a map. The one pictured above is the free version of Plane Finder. It really is amazing what open access to data can allow you to do. The data in Plane Finder is up to date, so much so that when the plane was over us in real life, it was also pictured as such on Plane Finder. A really great use of real time data.

On the free version of Plane Finder you don't have access to destination data, only flight numbers. Still a quick search on Google for 'flight SAS810' easily shows up that this flight was bound for Oslo. Ah Oslo, wish I was going back there soon. Oslo in the Summer is a fantastic city! Especially getting out on the Fjord .... See! Dreaming of holiday destinations again! Only Oslo will be out this year as I cannot afford to remortgage my house in order to afford to spend a weekend there. Travel in Norway is expensive! Still worth it when you can. I remember fondly our trip to Bergen last year.

I do wonder though if having such simple access to data kills imagination a little. Oh the paid for version of Plane Finder has even access to more data, including destination detail for flights. Cool! I won't have to think again! ;-)

Well maybe not, perhaps we just imagine different things.

Anyways have fun, and for a giggle if you have an iPhone and want to know why that pesky flight is destroying your peaceful afternoon, have a look on plane finder so at least you will be able to image what fun all the folks on that flight will have when they reach their destination! Then check the weather at that destination to see if their holiday is going to be worth it :-)

Cheers

m