London to Dulles: which side of the plane gets the sun?
On most daytime flights from London to Dulles, the sun shines in on the left. Sit on the right for shade, or the left for the view of the sun.
Best side for shade
Departure time is local at LHR. Seasons use the solstices and equinoxes.
| Departing | Mar | Jun | Sep | Dec |
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| Morning07:00 | Right | Right | Right | Rightsunrise left |
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| Midday12:00 | Right | Right | Right | Right |
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| Afternoon16:00 | Eithersun on both sides | Left | Right | Rightsunset left |
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| Evening20:00 | Eithermostly dark | Leftsunset right | Eithermostly dark | Eithermostly dark |
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The route starts out heading west-northwest. North of the tropics the midday sun is in the southern sky, so on this heading it tends to be on the left of the aircraft. When it happens during the flight, the sunrise is on the left, and the sunset can be on either side, depending on season and time.
About this flight
London (LHR) to Dulles (IAD) is about 5,902 km on the shortest path, typically around 7h 30m gate to gate. Set your exact departure time above to see where the sun is minute by minute.
How accurate is this?
Real flights don't fly exactly the shortest path, and delays and winds shift the timing, so treat sunrise and sunset times as approximate. At cruise altitude the sun sets 10 to 20 minutes later than on the ground. A bright cloud deck below can reflect glare in on either side. More on accuracy.
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