No need for the window seat! While the people next to you are sleeping, just lean over them with your telescope and look out the window. If they wake up and get mad at you, simply explain to them that it is imperative for you to observe a whale on this flight or else you will lose your iNaturalist verifiable observation streak. They’ll understand and may even pull out their own telescopes to help you look!
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Well there goes my answer. 
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Non-stop to Singapore? Just asking - a stopover might afford a shot at an observation on the 14th.
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Last time I was on an airplane there was a dried up spider between the panes on the window. I suggest inspecting every window just in case. Just nudge the other passengers out of the way, they’ll understand.
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Which, considering that those windows are supposed to be keeping the inside in and the outside out (i.e., sealed), is a somewhat terrifying thought…
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Yeah, it’s a non-stop flight.
Captive animals don’t count, alas. But there are definitely raccoons and skunks here in Oakland!
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I lost a birthday once on a non-stop to India. I think this possible streak loss is a more dire situation.
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Get your account hacked on purpose, and hope the hacker will submit an observation for you.
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Not exactly. Airplane windows (the outside pane) have tiny holes (helps keep the air inbetween the panes the same pressure as outside), which is probably how the spider got there. https://www.businessinsider.com/airplane-windows-tiny-holes-2016-3
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What would be very interesting would be looking at germs and molds on the planes. Save samples to look via microscope later or use iPhone micro lens for immediate photo if possible. This would be interesting and relevant. I’m sure you could find something, even plant particals and food in the carpets! And sinks too.
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I love this idea best. The airplane cabin is a legit ecosystem.
@tiwane take a foldscope and find some life in the air!
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Bioblitz the plane! They do talk about it being “the city in the sky”, so maybe next year they (airlines) should participate in the CNC!
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Photograph the airplane toilet and observe e. Coli
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But those were deliberately deposited by humans! Unless you target othee parts of the lavatory. This is starting to get gross lol
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This has been ticking over in my mind since I posted it, and I reckon it’s not as silly as it sounds! Border interceptions of fruit and veg (captive/cultivated) are largely to prevent unwanted seeds, pests and pathogens, as well as interception of CITES protected species/material. Here in NZ we have a television documentary series that follows the dramas of border control, and while it is largely centered around drugs, the “species diversity” aspect is often the most interesting.
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if you start to get stressed that your streak will be broken, it might be fun to try to determine what kind of bacteria live in your armpits. Doctor Armpit says:
The armpit is like the tropical rainforest, containing an enormous amount of bacteria. Although numbers of bacteria go very high, not a lot of different bacteria reside over there. The diversity of the axilla is rather low, compared to other skin sites, such as the belly button and the hands. As a result, some dominant bacteria reside in the armpit. Most of the times, staphylococci or corynebacteria are the dominant bacterial strains. In the first case, this only results in a moderate –normal– body odor, while in the last case, this can give rise to an unpleasant smell.
based on that, if you can get photographic evidence of, say, 3 people’s reaction to a sniff test, plus your own, i think that might serve as enough evidence for a genus-level ID. (maybe you could even have the first observation of S. hominis on the platform! https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=any&subview=grid&taxon_id=543875)
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I belive we better get more cities and towns for now, and only after it being really worldwide event the airplanes companies can think about it, I mean employees should participate in iNat first and know about city challenges. Border control bioblitz sounds cool, I remember I saw one of those series, no drugs, but lots of seeds. :D
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Check what is under your shoes (plant material such as seeds), and when you want to start some small talk on the long travel (and thus promote iNat further 
), check others’ as well. If you didn’t purposefully step into something on the way to the airport, I would count it as a legitimate (i.e. verifiable) observation
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Isn’t there usually someone on board with their toenail fungus on full display. :)
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How do you plan to get your geo coordinates? Take a picture of the in-flight screen giving flight status / flight map? What do you figure the accuracy will be? Would you add altitude to your description?
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