Jet WindowWindow seat by route · SYD to LAX
Sydney to Los Angeles: which side of the plane?
Sun on the left.
The sun is on the left on 6 of the 8 daylight departures we modeled. Sit left for the light and any sunset; sit right to keep the glare off and the ground easier to photograph.
The sun, by departure time
Where the light will be.
Departure times are local to Sydney. About 14 h in the air over 6,512 nautical miles.
| Leaving at | Winter (mid-December) | Summer (mid-June) |
|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Left · sunset about 8.5 hours in | Left · sunset about 8 hours in |
| Noon | Left · sunset about 5 hours in | Left · sunset about 4 hours in |
| 5 p.m. | Left · sunset about 2 hours in | Left · sunset 10 minutes in |
| 10 p.m. | Right · sunrise about 6 hours in | Right · sunrise about 5.5 hours in |
Out of the window
What you can look for.
On the shore of Botany Bay, open to the sea. Right on the Pacific shore at the edge of the LA basin.
Leaving Sydney
The coast and its surf beaches unroll below as you climb out over the water.
Arriving in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles basin fills the view, downtown against the San Gabriel Mountains, with the Hollywood Sign for sharp eyes.
Best from the right, because the common west-flow arrivals come in from the east, so the downtown skyline and mountains sit to the north, on the right.
How this was worked out
The same engine as the app.
These answers come from the model Jet Window uses on your phone: the sun's position from the cabin's own horizon at cruise, sampled along the great-circle path, with the landmark and airport notes the app shows. This page has to assume a departure time and a flight time, and a real flight bends with winds, airways and the runway in use. Cloud is not modeled.
In the app, Jet Window works it out for your actual flight, at its real departure time, and tells you when to look.
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