Have you ever wondered where those planes are going?

Have you ever wondered when you see the steam trails left by a jet in the sky where it is going? Or have heard the distant sound from a jet without seeing the contrails in the sky and wondered where the sound was coming from and where the jet was headed?
Our imaginations allow us to run wild and imagine being on one of the those jets that are heading north or coming south across Rainy Lake heading to or from a magical place. Sitting on our deck at Rainy lake on Saturday afternoon, I wondered as much when there were two distinct planes flying high over Rainy Lake with only their white contrails marking the sky.
Later we heard the roar of a jet that flew just south of the island and wondered where it was headed. We can identify the drone of the Bearskin Fairchild Metroliner as it crosses over the southern end of the island heading either to Fort Frances or to Thunder Bay.
But I learned of a ap that could be placed on my smart phone that could tell me what was flying overhead. One of the first flights that I identified was a cargo jet flying from Taipei to Chicago. Later there was a flight that was being flown from Incheon Korea to Chicago.
I have since learned that often West Jet flies just below Rainy Lake across northern Minnesota headed for Winnipeg. Air Canada seems to fly just north of Rainy Lake and above Kenora with planes headed to Winnipeg and points west. The southwest portion of Lake of the Woods has planes flying overhead from European destinations to Las Angeles.
Planes heading from LA to Britain or Germany take almost the same route travelling the northern route to Europe. The planes in consecutive order appear on the map of the world as a string stretched out as one airline follows another on a similar path from Europe to North America.
It is an amazing site to see so many aircraft flying throughout the world. Each has its own destination and starting point. Each timed to arrive at the proper time so passengers can connect to points further on. Timing seems to be everything. You leave North America in the evening and arrive in Europe in the morning. You leave India in the late afternoon and arrive in Europe in the morning. It is all magical as you can travel just about anywhere in the world in 24 hours.
The dreams of reaching a distant tropical or adventurous country are only a day away. And you can imagine this all from a deck on Rainy Lake, watching passenger jets fly overhead.

–Jim Cumming,
Publisher