Ever been camping 100s of k's from anywhere and seen the flashing red light of a passing aircraft and wondered where it might be going? Lying in your swag, looking up at the stars you imagine that metal tube containing hundreds of passengers on their way to some distant city. Or, closer to dawn or dusk, seen a vapour trail illuminated by the rays of the sun which is
well and truly below your horizon. Or heard the faint roar of the jet engines and looked up to see the red light half a sky away. Have you done your sums when it takes a plane about half an hour to cross the sky out in the desert (1/2 by 1100= 550 km??)- that's a very piece of sky you can see!
Firstly, there are apps now that help identify passing aircraft (eg Plane Finder HD) but they need an internet connection (OK when you are near a town or rail line), but useless in the above situation.
I was in an aircraft last night flying from Singapore to
Melbourne, and in the reverse situation. With my trusty iPad and using various mapping apps including Hema maps, OzRunways and Mud Map HD, I tracked our flight from overhead
Port Hedland at 2300 local time to
Adelaide. While most passengers slept my eyes strained out the window to identify towns, mines, headlights on highways or even campfires.
Well I can tell you, even though it was a crystal clear, moonless night, there wasn't much I could see.
The first lights I noted were several mines in the
Pilbara, Telfer being the biggest and visible for hundreds of kilometers. We passed to the south of
Marble Bar, crossing the CSR at
Well 17 and
Durba Spring. No fires visible guys- more effort need! Then we were on to the
Calvert Range,
Mungilli Claypan and the GBH near Tjirrkarli. Then the Connie Sue and WA/
SA border just south of the Anne Beadell. We crossed the Vokes
Hill Corner Road north of
Cook and then the train line between O'Malley and
Watson. We crossed Googs at the Dog Fence. The next lights visible from the port side of the aircraft where from
Whyalla, and
Port Augusta in the distance.
How could my fellow passengers sleep with this much going on below us?
I powered down over
Adelaide so I could focus on the delicious Jetstar breakfast - Dim Sum, but sadly the microwave couldn't have been working.
Tracking our flights with the iPad had turned our return flight to Europe into a fascinating adventure (so much more interesting than shopping and
ruins!). From overflying the island north of PNG where we lived and worked for two years over 30 years ago, to flying over North Korea (some good spy shots!), China, Russia (nearly as far north as the Arctic Sea), then nearly every northern European country. On the way
home we overflew Afghanistan (not even a single burst of flak!)
We landed at
Melbourne at 0610, to face an hour of immigration, and a surly official who threatened me with a $200 fine because I answered my phone (our lift was worried the customs dog had sussed us!)
Bob