Sentence:  There he 'd take a compass heading , figure his air speed , and deduce that in a certain number of minutes he 'd be over the broad meadows of the Merrimack Valley where it would be safe to let down through the overcast and <WSD>see</WSD> the ground before it hit him . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight