The Beauty of Flying: Five Breathtaking Aerial Mountain Views

First of all, I would like to use the occasion of this being the 100th post on KN Aviation to thank all of you for reading this blog.

After thinking for a while about what the hundredth post should be, I decided to go with a compilation of some of my favorite aerial views.

More specifically, aerial views of mountains.

Why Aerial Views of Mountains?

Recently, aviation has been getting a lot of negative attention. The laptop ban, more and more airlines going 10-abreast on 777s, and so on.

All those things are without a doubt a decrease in service level in one way or another.

But the truth is that we can use laptops before boarding a flight. We can sit in chairs as wide and spacious as we wish at our homes. We can get a sandwich that is probably much better than the onboard one would have been at a bakery for a couple of dollars.

Separate from that, we can even see some cities from bird’s eye perspective from observation towers and the like.

However, the one thing that is in most cases impossible without flying, is seeing mountains from a bird’s eye view.

Five Breathtaking Aerial Mountain Views

Enough talking for now, let’s move on to some of my favorite photos of mountain ranges and peaks I’ve taken through an aircraft window.

1. Japanese Alps

I took this photo on a flight from Tokyo to Hiroshima at the beginning of this week. Seeing the Japanese Alps during sunset was unforgettable. What made the experience even more amazing was that just as we were approaching the mountain range, we had to descend from 30,000 feet to 20,000 feet due to unfavorable weather conditions. This made the increasingly higher peaks appear closer and closer at a really fast rate!

2. Alps

What kind of compilation would this be, if I didn’t also feature the “real” Alps. This photo was taken during the inaugural Air France 787 in January of this year, and it shows the French part of the Alps. More specifically, it shows the Hautes-Alpes region. The town you can see in the valley is Embrun, and the lake is Serre-Ponçon – one of the largest artificial lakes in western Europe.

3. Mount Fuji

Without a doubt, Mt. Fuji is one of the most recognized peaks in the world thanks to its almost perfect conic shape. At a height of 3,776 meters, it is the highest peak in Japan. When people fly in and out of Tokyo, this is the one sight they often try to see out of their window. JAL even has a website for this purpose. On its “Which is Mt. Fuji?” page you can find which side you should sit on to see the peak on domestic flights based on the route. The photo above was taken a couple of years ago during an early morning Jetstar Japan flight from Tokyo Narita to Fukuoka. …and FYI, I was sitting on the left side.

4. Mount Damavand

At a height of 5,610 meters, Mount Damavand is not only the highest peak in Iran, but also in the Middle East. It is also the highest volcano in Asia. Being the highest peak around, Mount Damavand is easy to spot from many Iranian domestic flights among others. For example, it can be seen from the left side windows on Tehran to Mashad flights. This particular photo was taken from an An-74 during a sightseeing flight which was part of the first Iranian Skies & Cities tour.

5. Zagros Mountains

The last photo in this compilation, taken during an Etihad A380-800 flight from Abu Dhabi to London a few years ago, shows perhaps my favorite aerial view. It shows Zagros Mountains – a mountain range mostly located in Iran and Iraq, but also in Southern Turkey. This view is exactly why I love flying between the Middle East and Europe during the day. Opening the window shade, and seeing the “winter wonderland” below is a stunning experience!

What are your favorite places to fly over?