Scotland's National Collection of Aerial Photography includes a plethora of pictures of Scotland, notably Edinburgh and Glasgow, seen from above, many dating back to WWII. But there are also photographs of wartime European cities and images of elsewhere from the Aerial Reconnaissance Archives.
posted by Lezzles on Nov 24, 2009 - 4 comments

24 more amazing photos of London at night, from above. Previously.
posted by cerebus19 on Jan 28, 2009 - 22 comments

London from above, at night.
posted by cerebus19 on Aug 29, 2008 - 31 comments

Airphoto North America ― Jim Wark is an aerial photographer who specializes in capturing unusual landscape and cultural images of North and Central America. The plane used is a small high-wing, bush type (an Aviat Husky) with a large side opening for unobstructed shooting, and with the capability of operating out of small rough areas. A full complement of camping gear and provisions are always on board so that remote sites can be used as operating bases.
posted by netbros on May 12, 2008 - 13 comments

Some pretty cool aerial photos of London at night from photographer Jason Hawkes.
posted by dersins on Oct 11, 2007 - 15 comments

Aerial building heat loss maps. Haringey Council has contracted with Hot Mapping and Horton Levi to put a searchable heat loss map online for every building in the London Borough of Haringey. The thermal images were collected using overflights with a military style imager. The council's hope is that residents with hot buildings will take steps to reduce the amount of energy being leaked to the environment.
posted by Mitheral on Sep 15, 2007 - 19 comments

Extreme aerial bowfishing!
posted by Terminal Verbosity on Aug 14, 2007 - 27 comments

Georg Gerster's aerial photography (main site). At a store I saw a book of travel posters he shot for swissair, took it home and got lost in the details for hours. A gallery with larger images. He also released a book, in 2005, of aerial photographs documenting archaelogical sites. His process.
posted by lovejones on Feb 14, 2007 - 11 comments

Google Maps flight simulator. Well, not a simulator so much. But surprisingly good fun. Flash.
posted by Jimbob on Aug 5, 2006 - 25 comments

Rake Art. Patterns raked in the sand, then photographed from far above with a kite. (More info on the artist's blog)
posted by Gamblor on Jul 11, 2006 - 25 comments

In 1938 the British Balloon Command was established to protect cities and key targets such as industrial areas, ports, landmarks and harbours.Barrage balloons or "Bulging Berthas" were inflatable shiny silver-painted balloons, made of rubber-coated fabric, and filled with hydrogen gas used prevent low level attacks by enemy aircraft. The balloons flew anywhere from 500 feet to 10,000 feet. The 15 gauge flying wire that tethered them could clip the wings off a plane. They were also used at sea and to cover invasions. They were also effective against the V-1 flying bomb and back in the late 80s, at least one general thought they could still be used to protect airfields.
posted by Smedleyman on Mar 24, 2006 - 16 comments

Return of the Recluse. After twelve years' absence, this week sees the return of Kate Bush. Released in the States today, Aerial is being received to the expected glowing reviews. Called a prodigy by some, overrated by others, she has had an undeniable impact on a diverse range of artists.
posted by geckoinpdx on Nov 8, 2005 - 34 comments

Google Earth Threatens Democracy - Again! Sequel to an earlier article at The Register, here are some Google Earth shots of things which some would rather keep non-public, such as the recently uncensored White House roof or Russian nuke silos(page 1), or which stealth aircraft are parked at which air bases(page 3). Find more and send them in for their next dispatch.
posted by BlackLeotardFront on Sep 21, 2005 - 12 comments

NOAA posts more than 350 aerial images of areas decimated by Katrina. You can download zip files or use a clickable interface. The 2MB-3MB images are not rotated, so if you're comparing the eastern mouth of Bay St. Louis (3MB) to a Google Map image, for instance, you might have to tilt your head and zoom before the damage really hits you.
posted by F Mackenzie on Aug 31, 2005 - 28 comments

RC Aerial Photography. Oh so pretty!
posted by riffola on Dec 2, 2004 - 29 comments

Aerial photos. Maps. Overlaid. Fantastic.
posted by iffley on Oct 4, 2004 - 35 comments

you-are-here.com: Los Angeles Architectural Photo Bonanza. Pictures of buildings in Los Angeles, organized by period (1818 - 1939, 1939 - 2004), building type (theatres, skyscrapers, Victorian homes), or by architect. Also, aerial photos!
posted by ar0n on Sep 15, 2004 - 7 comments

Looking for a new use for that webcam? Go fly a kite! Kite Aerial Photography has caught the imagination of photographers and hobbyists around the world, and some of the results are spectacular.
posted by rory on Nov 26, 2003 - 16 comments

300 miles up.
posted by crunchland on Sep 15, 2003 - 25 comments

6000 breathtaking aerial photos of American towns and other sites, with particularly good coverage of towns in New England (MA, VT, CT, NH, RI, ME). All of this by one photographer, Joseph Melanson, whose mission in life is "to show you facets of your environment that you never realized no matter how long you lived there."
posted by dougb on Aug 6, 2003 - 23 comments

"Hitting Home: Coercive Theory, Air Power and Authoritarian Targets" will answer your questions on how aerial bombardment fits into the range of options between coercive diplomacy and total war, questions such as: -- What should be targeted for bombing? -- Exactly how much do you need to destroy to achieve your government's political objectives?
posted by sheauga on Dec 17, 2002 - 5 comments

pointless but surprisingly beautiful photos taken using a kite on the northern California coast
posted by marvin on Nov 8, 2002 - 21 comments

These new satellite photos give yet another perspective to the damage done in Tuesday's attack.
posted by tdstone on Sep 17, 2001 - 1 comment

The World at Night. This amazing image (warning 500K) is actually a composite of hundreds of pictures made by the orbiting DMSP satellites over regions of the world at night. You can clearly see the Nile river, Hong Kong, Hawaii and probably, if you look close enough, the town you are in right now. From Astronomy Picture of the Day
posted by lagado on Nov 27, 2000 - 18 comments