Contemporary Cartography

The co-pilot, flight attendants, and myself, started our day at the end of the day, as per normal operating procedures of a night crew. We flew to the northwest corner of the Empire and are now enroute, with 120 passengers, to the northeast corner; a demonstration of the accuracy of contemporary cartography. For the last twenty minutes, or so, I have been watching the glow of Chicago getting brighter, changing from a dim pimple of light, to a bright city of industry stretched along Lake Michigan's southwestern shore. It is a visual that never ceases to amaze me. The shore line is clearly visible; it looks like the edge of the world. Only darkness beyond...

In about 100 minutes, we will be touching down on the east coast for a short overnight, or I guess (in our case), a short overday. Sleeping in our rooms, blackout curtains drawn to keep the light out...

Tonight, westbound, against the dark winds. Until then:

Position: 60 miles west of Chicago
Altitude: 37,000 feet
Groundspeed: 570 m.p.h.
Fuel flow: 5,100 lbs. p/hr