Although most of the flights I have taken in the US are entirely over land, there are times when the direct route veers over the ocean or other larger bodies of water.  The contrast can make for striking compositions.  It’s interesting that ocean currents seem to appear in photos from above, as in the top image, taken off the west coast of Florida.  I don’t know my bearings off the mid-Atlantic so well, but I think the next shot was over the Chesapeake Bay, where patterns on the water also show up.

Cheasapeake Bay Aerial - Steve Bruno

Rivers dissecting the land make great subjects, especially where they cut a sinuous course.  This one, the Mississippi River shortly after takeoff from New Orleans, has those moments, but is more like a boating superhighway here.

Mississippi River, New Orleans, Steve Bruno

Sometimes flights make it over the meeting of two water sources, such as this one from the edge of the Great Salt Lake, Utah.

Great Salt Lake, Utah, Steve Bruno