Choose a photo
Airplane Window reads its capture time and any GPS location locally. If the camera did not record a time zone, you can review the UTC offset before searching.
A map for the moment in your photo
What was that out the airplane window?
Choose a photo, identify your flight, and see where the plane was when the shutter clicked. Follow its recorded route across a map or satellite view and explore the landscape below.
Your photo stays on your device during a flight lookup. FlightAware historical data may help with photos from January 2011 onward.
Illustrative lookup
One moment.
A place on the map.
A place on the map.
Example artwork, not live flight data.
Three simple steps
From camera roll to coastline.
The app starts with what you already know: a photo and the flight you took.
Identify the flight
Enter a flight number. A previously used flight can be suggested when the photo time falls within its remembered window.
Explore the view
See the recorded track and an estimated aircraft point. Switch map styles, inspect nearby places, and compare the point with photo GPS if it exists.
Ground beneath the frame
A route gives the view a place to start.
The app uses the photo's reviewed UTC time to estimate a point between observed positions on the flight track. The route, aircraft marker, nearby landmark search, and map or satellite switch help you investigate what you saw.
An optional purple circle shows an approximate sea-level horizon based on reported altitude. It describes geometry, not what the camera actually captured.
Recorded routeAircraft pointMap + satelliteNearby places
Mountain rangeValleyIllustrative map
Illustrative diagram. It is not a real flight track or satellite image.
Your photo, your choice
See the difference. Keep the original.
If your photo already contains GPS data, the app shows how far that location is from the estimated aircraft point. You can choose to save a new copy with updated GPS metadata. The original image is left alone.
After a lookup, share a result with a location link and Airplane Window credit. A public flight-details link is created only when you choose to share; it expires with the stored position.
See sample situationsA useful distinction
Where the plane was is not always what the lens faced.
Seat side, camera direction, cloud cover, terrain, and gaps between flight observations all matter. Airplane Window shows the evidence on a map so you can investigate, rather than claiming to recognize an object it cannot see.
Keep exploring
Have a photo and a flight in mind?
Read the guide for time-zone tips, credit behavior, GPS details, sharing, and common lookup questions.