Best views from the cockpit

Choosing from more than 180 different routes, British Airways' pilots have taken part in a poll to select their top 10 views from the air.

British Airways' chief Boeing pilot, Captain Al Bridger, said: "We get some spectacular views from the cockpit and many of these can be seen by everyone on board."

The Top Ten sights are:

1. Northern Lights - "If you're not already asleep this is an amazing sight three to four hours into most long North America flights. Well worth staying up for," said captain Dave Willsher, British Airways

2. Central London - Approach into Heathrow

3. Mont Blanc - Approach to Pisa

4. Sydney Harbour - Departure from Sydney

5. Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and bay - Approach into San Francisco

6. Greenland - North Atlantic flights

7. Venetian canals - Approach into Venice 

8. Table Mountain - Approach into Cape Town

9. Dubrovnik - Approach into Dubrovnik

10. Mount Fuji - Approach or Departure from Tokyo (Narita)

...and finally the Soyuz 35S space craft

"While flying to Singapore I had the rare privilege of seeing the Soyuz 35S space craft returning to Earth," said BA captain Simon Wijker.

"I later discovered that in addition to the three astronauts on board, it was also carrying the Olympic torch which it had just been taking for a spacewalk for the first time ever."