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Orlando → Portland

MCO–PDX · Orlando International Airport to Portland International Airport

Best bet

Right side

Good betA real difference, not a rounding error.

Mount St. Helens leads it, with 5 more on the same side.

Flight paths move around. Treat this as the better bet, not a promise.

What you might see

In flight order, with distance measured from the representative route.

MCO to PDX: where each landmark sits relative to the routeA diagram of the representative route running left to right, with the departure airport at the left and the arrival airport at the right. Landmarks on the left side of the aircraft are plotted above the route line and landmarks on the right side below it, each at its distance from the route. The numbered list below this diagram carries the same information as text.MCOPDXLEFT SIDERIGHT SIDE1234567891011
Distance from the route is to scale (up to 94 miles); the shaded ends are the 40-mile zones around each airport where the runway in use decides the view. Numbers match the list below. Hollow markers didn't count toward the recommendation.

  1. Wind River Range

    RightThree quarters40 mi off the route

    Wind River Range is about 40 miles off the right, about three quarters of the way.

    Distant possibility

  2. Grand Teton

    RightThree quarters54 mi off the route

    About three quarters of the way, Grand Teton sits roughly 54 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  3. Craters of the Moon

    LeftThree quarters13 mi off the route

    Look left about three quarters of the way for Craters of the Moon, about 13 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  4. Sawtooth Range

    Either sideThree quarters5 mi off the route

    Sawtooth Range passes almost directly beneath about three quarters of the way, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Good possibility

  5. Wallowa Mountains

    RightNear the end42 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Wallowa Mountains sits roughly 42 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  6. Mount Jefferson

    LeftNear the end52 mi off the route

    Look left late in the flight for Mount Jefferson, about 52 miles out.

    Distant possibility

  7. Mount Hood

    Either sideNear the end4 mi off the route

    Mount Hood passes almost directly beneath late in the flight, which is the one place a window seat can't help you.

    Strong candidate

  8. Mount Adams

    RightNear the end54 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount Adams sits roughly 54 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

  9. Columbia River Gorge

    RightNear the end17 mi off the route

    Columbia River Gorge sits close enough to PDX that the runway in use and the procedure of the day decide whether it shows up at all.

    Runway dependent

  10. Mount Rainier

    RightNear the end94 mi off the route

    Mount Rainier is about 94 miles off the right, late in the flight.

    Distant possibility

  11. Mount St. Helens

    RightNear the end46 mi off the route

    Late in the flight, Mount St. Helens sits roughly 46 miles to the right.

    Distant possibility

The sun

Flying soon? Add your date and departure time and we'll work out where the sun should be, and which side gets less of it.

Airport codes or city names. SEA, Seattle, and Seattle-Tacoma all work.

Skip the date and you still get the landmark answer. Add it and we work out where the sun will be, using the departure airport's local time.

The route we used

2,531 mi
Great-circle distance
309°
Course out of MCO
284°
Course into PDX
8
Landmarks that counted

That is the shortest path between the two airports, used as a representative corridor rather than a flight plan. The first and last 40 miles are treated as uncertain, because that part of the flight is shaped by the runway in use and the published departure or arrival procedure. Anything in those zones is listed and marked, never counted toward the recommendation.

Left and right, from where?

Left and right are from your perspective sitting in the cabin, facing the front of the aircraft. Seat letters are not a reliable guide to which side you are on, because aircraft are configured differently.

Why this isn't guaranteed

Flights don't follow the same path every day. Runway configuration, weather deviations, traffic, and air traffic control all move the track around, and none of it is knowable in advance. We also have nothing to say about cloud cover, which is the other thing standing between you and Mount Rainier. The full method.

Flying the other way?

Portland → OrlandoLeft side

Calculated from scratch, not by flipping this one. The landmarks arrive in the opposite order, the sun is somewhere else entirely, and the answer changes with them.

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