How come you can not see people in the google satellite images or maps?

Answer 1

Google imagery is updated often and even if a plane is caught in flight on a given image -the next update for that area will no longer have the plane. Google Earth is more suited for seeing planes in flight especially with its 'Historical Imagery' so you can return to a particular place and time to see a plane caught in flight.

The short answer is that you can see planes in flight on Google Maps and Google Earth. The long answer is that I am sure Google data is pulled from both satellite data and "flown" images. Flown images are taken at lower altitude so commercial planes are likely routed over the one taking the images.

Answer 2

The satellite and aerial imagery seen in Google Earth and Google Maps are from such a high altitude that you can see cars but people are too small to see clearly.

However, Google's Street View imagery does allow you to see people and Google uses automatic blurring techniques on faces to prevent identification. Just enable the street view mode on any major city, and you'll see people.

Answer 3

There is a large number of aircraft that have been caught in flight in Google Maps and Google Earth. People have reported sightings of such aircraft.

For examples, see https://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2005/09/planes_in_fligh.html

Imagery in Google Maps and Google Earth changes often so a plane caught in flight on a given day will be gone when Google updates that area. Imagery is on average 3 years old, so it may stick around for a little while.