AirPano is a not-for-profit project created by a team of Russian photo enthusiasts focused on taking high-resolution aerial panoramic photographs. The shots are usually taken from a helicopter, but also from an airplane, a dirigible, a hot air balloon, and a radio-controlled helicopter. Today AirPano is the largest resource in the world – by geographical coverage, number of aerial photographs, and artistic and technical quality of the images — featuring 360° panoramas of the highest quality shot from a bird’s eye view.

During next two years, AirPano will create aerial photo panoramas and virtual tours of the most significant places of the world. There are nearly 1500 aerial panoramas on our website showing over 150 famous locations of our planet, including North Pole, Antarctica, Mariana Trench, and even the Earth’s view from the stratosphere.

Unlike viewing a traditional photograph limited by its frame, or watching a film that follows its director’s idea, a spherical panorama gives you a freedom of being on location, where you can turn around 360° and have a closer look at every detail.

When viewed on a large screen the panorama technology creates a complete illusion of a personal presence on the spot, it makes you feel as if you are in the sky above New York City, underwater, above the raging waterfall, and even inside a microwave oven. You can take time to move in closer and study interesting objects, or “fly” to a new place by simply moving your hand. Although there is a downside that nothing can be touched, but they are working on it.

New virtual tours are published on www.AirPano.com every week.