Aerial VIew
It always helps to get some distance to see more clearly. A recent trip home to Iowa provided some nice aerial views. Here are some photos I've taken through those thick airplance windows.
I've only had a few chances to get shots of Manhattan during takeoff. Here's one of upper Manhattan under a blanket of clouds.
Moon and clouds
This white mushroom was growing just outside of Chicago.
This field is in Nebraska or Iowa. Even through the scratched and smudged window the camera still captures the dried stalks of corn and tracks from some errant truck.
Leaving Iowa, I was hoping to get aerial views of the wind fields that have cropped up along interstate 80. The plane took off from Omaha and we went into the clouds and then it was all white, all the time. There was 100% cloud cover so I couldn't see a thing.
Here's a wind turbine from the ground. This thing is huge, I'm guessing 200 feet plus if you count the blades. And there are hundreds of them.
It's nice to see renewable energy taking off like this. Change is happening.

Here's some interesting facts on the wind turbines from a comment posted by Warren Hutchinson:
"The turbine that sits on top of the tower is the generator and looks quite small but is the size of a school bus, weighing 115,000 to 181,000 pounds. The blades vary in length from 126 feet to 148 feet. the height of the tower is 263 feet.
Depending on the size of the turbine each base has from 250 to 308 cubic yards of concrete and from 58,000 to 82,000 lbs. of reinforcing steel and the base is 50 feet wide and is seven feet deep.
Each turbine will power 1050 homes. Power generaton begins at 7 mph wind, maximum power generation at 30 mph wind."
Thanks Warren.
Reader Comments (1)
Owen, enjoyed your pictures and slides. On the wind turbines thought you might be interested in some facts.
The turbine that sits on top of the tower is the generator and looks quite small but is the size of a school bus, weighing 115,000 to 181,000 pounds. The blades vary in length from 126 feet to 148 feet. the height of the tower is 263 feet.
Depending on the size of the turbine each base has from 250 to 308 cubic yards of concrete and from 58,000 to 82,000 lbs. of reinforcing steel and the base is 50 feet wide and is seven feet deep.
Each turbine will power 1050 homes. Power generaton begins at 7 mph wind, maximum power generation at 30 mph wind.