Flight Radar 24 uses Google Maps and real-time flight data to create an online flight simulator. To virtually fly along with a flight on Flight Radar 24 just select a plane icon on the map then select “aircraft view” below the flight information in the left hand margin.

Applications for Education
I’m not a math teacher by any stretch of the imagination, but I think that one way to use Flight Radar 24 would be to have students take on the role of “virtual air traffic controller.” Assign or have your students select ten or so flights to manage to arrive at a location like Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson Airport. To coordinate the flights your students will have to account for distance from the airport, air speed of the planes, and current cruising altitude of each plane.

H/T to Google Maps Mania.