Photos of the Week: From Here to There

Planes make the world smaller.

Well, not literally. But so much of how we perceive and interact with the world is based on distance and time, to the point that they blur together. How many times has someone asked how far away something is and you’ve responded with a time estimate?

It’s difficult for most of us to conceive of very large distances without a frame of reference, which is why we usually break them down into comparisons.

For example, which is easier for us to understand: that the world is more than 24,000 miles in circumference, or roughly the same distance as driving back and forth across Pennsylvania more than 80 times?

In that same vein, it makes more sense to say Anchorage, Alaska, is a seven-hour flight from Pittsburgh rather than that it is almost 3,200 miles away.

Casper Wood traveled that distance recently to do some plane-spotting at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. He snapped this beautiful shot of a China Airlines Cargo plane departing with the mountainous beauty of Chugach State Park in the background.

Another way of looking at the distance from Pittsburgh to Anchorage is to say it’s about twice as far away as, say, Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Tonia Dye was there last month on her honeymoon and sent us this aerial photo of a part of the world just as beautiful as Alaska but so much different.

See? Planes make the world smaller.

Our readers continue to pass along shots of unique aircraft, international airports, historical events, gorgeous views and even family vacation photos for this feature. We love them! Keep them coming—you can click here for submission guidelines.

A view from the window while flying can encapsulate Earth’s most recognizable landforms, such as Montego Bay’s beaches and crystal clear waters. (Photo submitted by Tonia Dye)