Chicago-Honolulu flight leaves O'Hare snowplows for Hawaiian sprinkles 2011-12-09

Now fully annotated on screen: Passing 25,000 to 30,000 feet below are Mid West towns, the Mississippi, Wyoming plateaux, Rockies peaks, Utah-Nevada desert, California's Central Valley, Sacramento Delta, northern San Francisco Bay, Point Reyes, eastern north Pacific Ocean, Koko Head, downtown Honolulu, Barbers Point, and Ewa Beach on a nine-hour flight condensed into 1/4 its length on a clear day along the complete flight path.
Specific passages:
Beginning of video: Boarding the flight at O'Hare
4:15-4:25 O'Hare snowplow completing a morning's runway clearance operation (seen while taxiing to runway)
5:50 Distant skyline of downtown Chicago (while awaiting takeoff clearance)
7:40 Takeoff on 32R (runway closed in 2015: See-www.dailyherald...)
8:40 Maine West High School, Des Plaines IL (X-shaped building)
9:10 Interstate-90 at Elk Grove Village northwest of Chicago
9:45-10:10 Ned Brown Preserve of Cook County IL
10:10-10:20 Schaumburg IL
13:05 Interstate 90 crossing Fox River in north Elgin IL
17:30 Belvidere IL
18:30 Junction of Interstate 90 & Interstate 39 at Cherry Valley IL
19:15 Rock River through Rockford IL
21:40 Pecatonica IL (with oval-shaped Winnebago County Fairgrounds south of Pecatonica River)
23:10 Freeport IL
24:45 US 20 from the east curves into the town of Elizabeth located in the northwest corner of Illinois
25:20 Mississippi River (separating Illinois from Iowa) coming into view
26:00-27:50 Dubuque, IA
28:10 Dubuque Regional Airport (DBQ)
29:00-29:20 Dyersville IA
29:45-30:40 Manchester IA
31:25 Independence IA
32:20-34:25 Cockpit announcement on flight path
33:25 Jesup IA
34:15-35:20 Waterloo IA
34:30 Waterloo Regional Airport (ALO)
35:20-35:50 Cedar Falls IA
36:30 Dike IA
38:10 Dows IA west of Interstate 35
39:50-40:00 Newell IA
40:45-41:30 Storm Lake IA
42:20 Cherokee IA
42:45 Washta IA (coldest place in Iowa), next to Little Sioux River
en.wikipedia.o...
43:30 Pierson IA
44:10 Kingsley IA
45:10 La Mars IA
46:30 Sioux City IA
46:50-47:25 Big Sioux River separating Iowa from South Dakota
47:35-48:10 Missouri River separating South Dakota (SD) from Nebraska (NE)
48:10-48:25 Ponca NE
48:40-48:50 Missouri River separating South Dakota (SD), above, from Nebraska (NE), below
49:20 Hartington NE
50:05-51:10 Lewis & Clark Lake NE (near side) / SD (far side)
51:20 Bloomfield NE
52:00-53:05 Beginning of Sandhills landscape of western Nebraska
53:05-54:35 Missouri River continues west
55:45 Hyannis NE as Highway 2 / 61 winds west through the Sandhills
1:00:40 Bridgeport NE & North Platte River
1:03:00-1:03:50 Highway 71 south of Scottsbluff NE; leaving Nebraska & entering Wyoming (WY)
1:05:35-1:05:55 Exit 21 of Interstate 25 @ Ridley Road, 14 miles north of Cheyenne Wyoming; beginning of Rockies foothills
1:07:35-1:07:50 Interstate 80 winds west of Cheyenne towards Laramie WY
1:07:50-1:08:15 Laramie WY
1:10:25 Beginning of Snowy Range of Rockies; leaving Wyoming & entering Colorado (CO)
1:23:00- Dinosaur National Monument (CO); leaving Colorado & entering Utah (UT)
1:25:45-1:26:20 Vernal UT
1:28:00-1:28:30 Bottlehollow Reservoir, Fort Duchesne UT
1:28:40-1:29:15 Roosevelt UT
1:31:15 Duchesne UT
1:32:40-1:33:30 Strawberry Reservoir (larger of two lakes)
1:35:00-1:38:45 Wasatch Range
1:38:50-1:39:00 Nephi UT
1:39:30-1:40:05 western Utah ranges; leaving Utah & entering Nevada (NV)
1:42:00-1:43:05 Walker Lake NV; leaving Nevada & entering California (CA)
1:46:45 A fly-along
1:49:00-1:50:20 New Melones Lake CA
1:51:50 Central Valley foothills reservoirs: Camanche (L), Pardee (C), New Hogan (R) CA
1:53:50-1:55:10 Stockton CA
1:55:00 Interstate 5 through northwest Stockton CA
1:55:10 Sacramento River delta
1:57:00-1:58:20 Oakley / Antioch / Pittsburgh / Bay Point (of East San Francisco Bay Area) CA
1:59:00 Interstate 680 crossing the Sacramento River CA
1:59:25 Carquinez Bridge of Interstate 80 crossing Sacramento River
2:00:00-2:00:35 Tormey, Hercules, Pinole (of East San Francisco Bay Area) CA
2:00:40 Northern San Francisco Bay CA
2:01:35-2:02:35 San Rafael CA
2:02:50 Kent Lake CA
2:03:35 Drakes Bay CA
2:04:50 Point Reyes CA
2:05:00 Flight clears North American continent at Point Reyes CA
2:05:00-2:21:45 Crossing the northeastern Pacific to Hawaii
2:12:55-2:16:32 Announcement of Hawaiian agricultural declaration requirements
2;16:58 Arrival weather information from cockpit
2:21:55 Approaching Oahu's windward coast
2:21:55-2:22:50 Koko Head, Hanauma Bay & Hawaii Kai
2:24:15 Downtown Honolulu
2:24:50 Honolulu International Airport (HNL)
2:25:20 Barbers Point
2:29:00 Ewa Beach
2:30:40 Touchdown on runway 8L at HNL
2:34;35 Airside garden in airport terminal
2:35:05 The Bus bus stop in front of terminal
URL to this flight as tracked on Flightaware:
flightaware.com...

[@richieslimbach]

What a fantastic journey across the USA from Chicago. I watched it from beginning to end without interuption. I only wished that the close-ups of the various towns and cities were named. The mountains were majestic and I could not believe that this was the USA, not the Himalaysia's. Absolutely beautiful video. Thanks so much

[@crunchycrispybacon]

you have too much time on your hands.

[@engelundgeister]

Miraculous day for flying, especially since there are hardly any clouds to obstruct the view over 2/3rds of our nation. Absolutely beautiful footage.

[@azariahkeith5189]

i guess I'm quite off topic but do anybody know of a good website to watch new series online ?

[@OSTARAEB4]

It's always great to fly across the U.S. when you're lucky enough to have clear weather. The cities, the brown and barren desert with the shadows during a sunset is pretty. Mountain ranges, the flaxen and green flatness of the crop cities through the heartland and seeing all the development as one comes into a major metro area is awesome. Videos like this make you realize how sparsely populated places are and makes you wonder why/how people settled in the middle of nowhere.

[@jengel2000]

Funny, that's what I wonder about places like Chicago.

[@OrderFeed]

OSTARAEB4 ghgyfffggffyygdgu gghggh

[@rcflyer2005]

Enjoyed your video. At 8:40, Maine West HS my almamater, class of 1969. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[@ketankshukla]

Wow This is fantastic!! You must be really proud of the immense detail you've given in the description, I was jumping all over the place with ease!! Really love how you've listed all the attractions along the route!! Well done!!

[@MarklovesJoan]

REALLY appreciate the list of locations!! Thanks so very much and also awesome upload....thank you!!

[@backpacktrot]

+Mark Ash-Petta Thanks for your comments. I try my best to list the locations (on more recent video, also by on-screen annotations).

[@samharper5881]

+Mark Ash-Petta Agreed. I wish I could give 100 thumbs up just for the locations list alone.

[@heatherstub]

I ditto that! I really love what you did, because I can follow along, even if you shortened the video. I always love those videos featuring the entire flight from start to finish with nothing in between.

[@xenonman]

How did you identify the various locations?

[@leonhamski1123]

Thank you for sharing this very well done video. Whenever I feel a little chilly here in northern Ohio and need a "get-a-way" I take a virtual trip to Honolulu as I watch your upload! : )

[@newalm]

I am an aviation enthusiast and flights from the east coast do fly over the Santa Clara Valley below San Francisco depending on the winds or weather. They also fly over Los Angeles depending on weather/wind conditions. That other jet in flight was Delta. At 1:58 that is the naval moth ball fleet (those white blotches in the water on the north side) anchored off Suisun bay next to the newly constructed Benicia bridge. I drove by there many times going to Reno for years. Very nice video!

[@Littlun17]

I'm simply thrilled that you filmed the entire way from Chicago to the west coast, as well as provided flight progress. This is an absolute blast to watch. Thank you for putting in the time to do this and to share it with us!

[@DocentUSA]

I always watch your videos. This one seems to be the longest and most amazing. Thank you for sharing!

[@kurniadysaputra9699]

Kota Chicago Saat Musim Dingin di Sore Hari. Chicago City When Winter In the Evening.

[@kalzone2112]

Starting at 2 hours bay area carquinez straits At 2:01, San Rafael and the rock quarry @2:02.25 Fairfax California my home town. @2:04 Limentour beach and Point Reyes! Great video!

[@engelundgeister]

LOVING the identifying tags on this video. Used to try to find geographical areas via Google Earth before tags were included. Learned much about topography between Illinois and west coast! This is a favorite video! Many thanks!

[@maggiecabral8]

This is the best flight video I have seen I wish this guy could do all the videos of the world.

[@Dirtboxhor]

Thanks for sharing. Made several trips from Louisville, KY to Honolulu. That moment when you cross the California coast. . knowing your gonna be seeing nothing but clouds and blue for the next few hours.

[@alabamared2568]

thanks for flying over pecatonica il my hometown and still is at 21,50 mark awsome view of my town!!!!!!!

[@erlkngh]

Wow! More great stuff. Thanks! Someday I will flight to Palembang Indonesian.

[@erlkngh]

I have been flight Bradford Mckean region flight to Los Angeles,CA to visit my sister home.

[@MrBassdude5]

probably one of he best videos ever crossing america

[@Mitchmassey]

This video was great-thanks for sharing it! I hope your trip was great-I am going to Hawaii summer of 2013!!

[@fabianocalifa]

Very good video,one of the best "during flight" videos I've ever seen on youtube.... Cheers from Germany. :)

[@JohnWalshLegend]

Best flight video I have ever seen. Thank You !!

[@FarrugiaJose]

Wow. I didn't expect the flight to be 9 hours all the way to Hawaii. That's already considered a long-haul flight. Great video by the way.

[@engelundgeister]

Having a wonderful time acquainting myself with my country! Found many of these places on Google Earth, but had to LOOK, EXAMINE, then return to video! This is great fun!

[@fabianocalifa]

I lived in San Rafael,California for 4 years.... nice watching the city from above.

[@MarianoEnUSA]

impresionante video, te felicito ! Saludos desde ARG

[@mjoven1975]

1:43:15 Bridgeport Reservoir and Bridgeport, CA.

[@CallieAlways2010]

I liked this Video very steady with the camera and amazing footage of the land.

[@airplanegod]

Doing this route on American this summer. Thanks for the video!

[@jamesfukfist8192]

Awesome. Thank you. You even listed geographically......simply the best.

[@sportscaster89]

You dont know how much I appreciate this! An uncut 2 hour flight video on a 767. Thanks so much for this vid and all the others!

[@barbaraadler8365]

I miss flying havnt been on a plane for 5 yrs..I flew twice a yr every yr since 1965..I grew up on planes flew from USA to Holland n London..I really miss it a lot..with family now dying one at a time cause of there age..its almost impossible to fly..I'm only 49..I still want to fly

[@jcarlosmasp]

Obrigado por compartilhar essa viagem conosco! Lugares incríveis! Thanks for sharing this trip with us! Amazing Places

[@oopfish]

This is the best video I've ever seen I really enjoy and appreciate thank you very much

[@tomfitzpatrick6524]

Thanks for a tremendous narrative of a wonderful flight. I flew several times on a parallel flight, AA flight 007 from DFW to OGG, Kahalui, Maui, 8h,25m, with return on AA flight 006, 7h,05m, shorter time thanks to jet stream. Enjoyed flight out in daylight, always on the right side of the aircraft beside a window, getting great views and still photos of the southern route, anticipating first sight of land. Return flight overnight in darkness, makes sleeping easier. Flight out is anticipatory of vacation; all vacationed-out on return flight.

[@engelundgeister]

How you managed to identify so many small farming-communities which lay well off beaten-track...I'll never know! Makes following this entire flight marvelous entertainment as well as educational! Thanks, very much for this video, as well as your painstaking efforts to make it COMPLETE! Sending blessings your way!

[@kalzone2112]

2 :05:20 Bodega Bay, where Hitchcock's Birds was filmed

[@scottvernon9413]

Good Vid! I grew up in Prospect Heights, went to Hersey.. and moved to Texas in 79... nice of you to point out landmarks.....

[@_Tommmmmm_]

Nothing better then when you leave O'Hare in a full on Chicago snowstorm to go to somewhere nice and warm haha.

[@jland904]

Awesome video moving to Honolulu in 2 months

[@keithklingensmith2955]

I've been to Hawaii 2 times. Fantastic.

[@newalm]

According to Flightaware, today's (12-21-12) American flight 73 will fly over Sunnyvale and San Mateo and there will be a great view of San Francisco from the south, if it is not foggy or cloudy, which is right now.

[@Downandlocked628]

I agree. The best so far. How do you identify all those landmarks?? Keep up the great work!!

[@mjoven1975]

One other note, the Carquinez Bridge doesn't cross the Sacramento River, it crosses the Carquinez Strait between San Pablo Bay and Suisun Bay. The city directly north of the Carquinez Bridge is Vallejo, CA. Outstanding video!

[@dannyone1565]

I love watching this video! Don't know why but I find it relaxing. Great job!

[@boo234p]

There is nothing more thrilling then seeing the Hawaiian Islands from the air. It awakens all of your senses.

[@ChrisPanos-gj6wq]

I flew this very route with an UA 747 last year. Unforgettable! Great footege

[@airplanegod]

Taking this flight tomorrow!

[@TheVodKanockers]

Bravo for information about places and time btw how fast plane did go?

[@MattsoILL]

I miss hickam afb. Thanks for posting this!

[@PGMEagle]

Love your flight videos keeep them comming. You must be on the rewards program for the number of times you fy lol.

[@LeftyStratPlayer]

Great video but one correction. The airport a 2:24:50 is Kalaeloa, not HNL. Cheers!

[@arronsilvah8248]

+LeftyStratPlayer That is HNL, kalaeloa is below the approach for HNL runway 8L.

[@engelundgeister]

I have fallen-in-love with the airplane's Captain, on this flight! MAGNIFICENT!!!

[@backpacktrot]

Paula Duvall Thanks for all your comments BTW! :D

[@PatrickJGamboa]

I must say, good job doing the video :)

[@QUICHE45]

Hermoso video!!!!!!!!!

[@comsfan09]

Wow, my flight to Narita Japan was 12 1/s hours so Hawaii must be closer to Japan than I thought if your flight was only a little over 9 hours. Great shots though thanks for sharing.

[@davecrupel2817]

Flying is like heroine for me. I'm crazy about everything having to do with aviation x)

[@virtualpilot31]

The snow plow conga line!

[@TheBill9999]

i enjoyed that thanks for posting

[@susiemcd3941]

Husband was a Navy Corpsman in the 1970s there. I want to visit!

[@sundevilification]

Excellent capture. Aloha creates energy. Hear the chatter when on final?

[@ExNerd58]

Pretty good video!!

[@mbwj41]

I enjoyed that very much , when you do the 10 hr flight from oz you see nothing but water.

[@FBWFTW]

Yeah man but your landing and takeoff views are epic! Blue...blue...clouds...blue.... LAND! It's a continent!

[@azizbah555]

Thank you

[@backpacktrot]

+Aziz Garut You're welcome! Thanks for your words of appreciation.

[@TheOutty500]

I was on that flight back in 2012!

[@engelundgeister]

Flying is the only chance I get to ESCAPE the MADNESS, on earth. For, there, I feel closer to Heaven, and As One with the Universe. It is my only addiction, and aside from my late husband, is my Total Joy.

[@jeffdhedouville5852]

Paula Duvall To me flying is so very peaceful.

[@heatherstub]

I echo that! I'm totally blind and have been all my life, and there's nothing like flying in an airplane on a clear day. It's like you're sitting in a spacious room with not a care in the world. (That all left when you left the ground.) I do have to admit that I don't like turbulence either, and if I have my Guide Dog, it's a good reason not to like them. I do have her leash hooked to my seatbelt, though, and I also take the harness handle off, too, so she can stretch out on the floor in front of me. Just picture it. My dog lying at my feet, sleeping soundly, (and maybe snoring), and I lying back in my seat listening to Josh Groban with the headphones turned up just right. I wish I could afford to travel, but I had to quit working, because I was diagnosed with Atypical Trigeminal Neuralgia. If I didn't have that, I'd be able to travel more often, but my medication keeps me from doing this.

[@jeffdhedouville5852]

This might sound corny, but when I fly I think of that song by Bette Middler "You are the Wings Beneath my Wings"

[@engelundgeister]

Honored to hear from you, Ms. Heather! Sending you and your sweet companion blessings and hugs! Delighted to find a friend who is as entranced by the Miracle of Flight, as I am! Remember to take good care of yourself and you wonderful Spirit of Adventure! Kindest regards, to you!

[@engelundgeister]

Not corny, at all! Sending blessings your way! Take good care!

[@heatherstub]

For American Airlines, this is one of the best videos yet! I'm not too impressed with them, but this video makes me know that there's hope.

[@margaretcabral535]

nice clear day to see the country

[@ChiaJesus]

3 times to Hawai'i... Best times of my life.

[@DesertDigger1]

Gomer Pyle use call it "Hi Wire",when he spoke in a Southern drawl.

[@ACDsRandomness2]

My homeland, maui hawaii!!!! I miss home now. :-(

[@margaretcabral535]

great video

[@TOPGUNCANADA00]

aww i wanna move to hawaii

[@TOPGUNCANADA00]

try flying west jet from Toronto to Honolulu and back with no tv's.... but they did leave us all a Maclean's Magzine to make up for it, 24 hours of twiddling my thumbs...

[@scottalagger964]

Best flight video I have ever seen

[@10181953]

excelente filmado

[@johndemerse9172]

Great video!

[@Sedano29]

I really liked takeoff on the plane to Honolulu, mayor that is very beautiful.

[@railroadhunter2000]

wait, it was a 2 hour and fifteen minute flight because of the clear day. How fast was it flying

[@mark031363]

Wonder if the crew has a lay over or do they load up and leave again?

[@Juanreyes-hn5rq]

EXELENTE VIDEO que enorme es nuestra casa (TIERRA) La línea #1 en AMÉRICA ✈️ AA

[@ericmenes5438]

Waterloo, Iowa @35:00

[@cawley345]

You should fly from Las Vegas to Gilbralter

[@nickschor]

Fantastic video. @ 43:30 my first flight instructor lives in Pierson, IA. Wish I could reach out and shake his hand.

[@johnfarley9141]

32,000 ft. is a pretty low cruising altitude for such a distance! But very nice video, I greatly enjoyed it.

[@FBWFTW]

I'll wager they may have stepped up to 340/360... But not much more for an old girl like this! I was at 360 initially on the Hawaiian A330 from JFK-we wound up at FL400!

[@johnlouisville]

At about 2:02 you just barely missed seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. Too bad you were not on the left side.

[@markpotvin7119]

i KNOW IT'S LATE, BUT GREAT DETAILS.

[@nixnnx]

I leave to go to hawaii on wednesday(:

[@granskare]

my wife flew Denver to Honolulu and sad to say there a lot of homeless people there...good luck to you...maybe one of the other islands?

[@longhaired93]

yeah I saw so many homeless :/

[@xenonman]

Yes, we have homeless people and also people who can afford to globetrot!

[@MegaManunited10]

757 or 767?

[@MrGarland23]

is that a 76 or 77 I can't tell????

[@BigSlickNuts2]

Bad ass, Thanks for vid!

[@newalm]

At 1:46, that Delta Airbus 333 is also heading to Honolulu. It could have been from either Salt Lake City, JFK, or Atlanta.

[@FBWFTW]

They use A330's on SLC-HNL? That's interesting! I thought they only used em on ATL-HNL!

[@FBWFTW]

And didn't they can the JFK service? It was only seasonal? I flew HA's JFK-HNL it was awesome!

[@alvexok5523]

Watching this is almost as fun as actually physically flying there. We get the good things about flying without the bad things like jetlag, fear of crashing, feeling stuck in an enclosed space for 9 hours (which is definitely more of an issue in economy), bad economy food (if any), and emptying my bank account to pay for the trip (and with me right now would even be the case paying for an economy ticket). We still get the good things watching this like the fun of take-off and landing (which I always found exciting as a kid, and I still like those parts of flying), the great views from the window (and some of them were great), and the surrounding scenery of Hawaii once landed. However, watching this does have us missing out on some things that we can only get from really physically flying there; the feeling and experience of really getting away is obviously not the same when just watching it on a screen, the experience of not just the flying but of all the attractions of vacationing in Hawaii such as the tropical surroundings, the hotel, the beach, the tropical breezes, the palm trees and tropical plantations, meeting exotic locals, tasting the food and drinks that we cannot get here at home, the smells (every country or place has their distinct smells that you can't find elsewhere, some of them are good), and the airplane food is good IF you're in first class like this video seemed to be. Economy food I would never choose over just going down the road here at home and buying food from the grocery store. I have eaten first class meals before, comparing them to economy food is like comparing an equisit restaurant to fast food, huge difference in quality.

[@ag7g]

I've lost track of how many times I've landed in Honolulu.

[@iJoshDG]

even watching this makes me wanna throw up.. I've never been on a plane before and it seems so cool but petrifying...

[@purplebluehaze9220]

Nah, it's fantastic fun most of the time. Now and again, you'll get a bit of turbulence that makes you tense, but it's very rare. The take offs and landings are hugggggggge fun!

[@blessedbeJesus]

1:59:30 Carquinez Bridge

[@kushtiadepot5574]

you should the importants places name mention on the video.for the reson we can now the place easily

[@TOPGUNCANADA00]

i wonder if arriving in heaven is as wonderful as landing in hawaii after a shitty long winter.

[@toddpaolucci1372]

WOW I'm impressed good job viewing this clip :) I give you two THUMPS UPS :)

[@Kenika]

Did you have trouble with taking video on the plane? We went from Madison to Dallas to Honolulu Feb 2013. I was videoing coming into Dallas, the flight attendant ordered me to "Turn that camera off." Later, just when it would start to be scenic below, they decided to show the movie. I kept my window shade up, so I could watch and video what was going on. A different attendant came and ordered me to "Pull that shade down." It ticked me off.

[@disastertransport3656]

WOW rude file a complaint a the airline did they even announce for EVERYONE to turn off their electronics