Flight JL0009

04Jul08

If you asked people to consider what a flight from Chicago (ORD) to Japan (NRT) would be like, most would probably think it’s a simple westward flight over the Pacific Ocean.  However, due to the curvature of the Earth, this isn’t the case – it’s merely a trick resulting from the inaccuracies of flat, rectangle-shaped maps.  The flight from Chicago to Narita International in Japan takes you way up through Canada, into Alaska, and in fact, not far at all from the Arctic circle.  Some flights will also pass through Russia’s rugged and mountainous Kamchatka peninsula, depending on the airline.  Don’t believe me?  Here’s a straight line drawn directly from Chicago to Narita (click on the image to see it properly).

Perhaps this doesn’t seem that interesting, but if you actually get on a flight like this, you’ll see why I like it.  You get to pass straight over the Alaskan wilderness and mountain ranges.  Despite being 40,000 feet off the ground, it’s still an amazing sight, along with Kamchatka as well.  The flight is over twelve hours long, so it can be a little bit stressful — it’s nice to be able to just look out the window at the sights during the flight.  Due to the movement of the plane and the sun, it’s never dark during the flight either, so you don’t miss anything.

Anyway, I’m looking forward to my flight.  The last time I went, it was on a 777 plane with terrible seats — had a pretty hard time trying to relax much.  This time it’s a 747, but it’s likely still going to be a newer plane than the 777 I went on, so hopefully my flight will turn out okay. Japan Airlines is known for it’s excellent service and in-flight entertainment, so this flight should be a bit more enjoyable.

Only 57 more days to go…

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