They are not always. Nobody guarantees that you will see them or what they will be like, although when they appear they are what you expect: an impressive spectacle in the sky. Being able to see the northern lights is a dream for many and going to enjoy them from a suitable place is a pending trip on many agendas. Recently Magazine Lifestyle was able to do it in a very special way: by flying in an Airbus that was specially prepared to hunt the auroras in the North Atlantic.
This very unique experience begins in a hotel: the Sofitel Gatwick, opened in 1990 and raised the level of establishments to spend the night or rest in the second largest airport in London by number of passengers. On average, 50% of these travelers fly with EasyJet, the airline that has its most important base in Gatwick. One only has to look at the information signs for flight departures and arrivals to see the predominance of the corporate orange color of this company.
A few meters from the planes, in the Dessouter suite, one of the hotel lounges, they await us at two in the afternoon with a welcome drink followed by a first talk by Nigel Meredith, a physicist from Oxford and astronomer who works for the British Antarctic Survey, the United Kingdom’s public institution dedicated to Antarctic research. Meredith is accompanied by Dan Beedon, head of air operations for this admired group of researchers working on the seventh continent. What they say about the polar skies, the tests carried out with infrequent temperatures and how to fly on the frozen continent puts us in the situation: we are going to live a unique day.
A hundred people have come to the Dessouter room wanting to know more about astronomy, auroras, the possibility of flying in search of them and listening to experts in the field. All convened by the oenagé Aerobility and the EasyJet airline, which donates one of its Airbuses for the adventure of the day: a round trip flight of just over four hours to hunt for the northern or polar lights. All the attendees and future travelers have contributed at least 349 pounds sterling (almost 400 euros) to be able to attend the conferences, in addition to a special lunch and to be able to have a seat on the special round trip flight.
In the room is Mike Miller Smith, director of the NGO. He tells us about the goals of his organization: “We created Aerobility to change the lives of people with all kinds of disabilities. They get access to something special and wonderful: first person flying. They do it to the point of being able to take the controls of small planes. When that happens, it triggers something that encourages them to ask, ‘If I can fly a plane, what else can I do?’” Miller Smith tells us. “The feeling of freedom and escape from capacity restrictions makes life a little better for many people. That is why the flight in search of the auroras is very important to us: it finances our actions and makes it possible for us to continue offering the magic of flying, even if it is in much smaller aircraft than the Airbus that this airline gives us for such a special trip. and exciting”, he concludes.
At his side, in an EasyJet uniform, Captain Chris Foster corroborates everything he hears and adds that it is an honor to support the NGO and its work, recalling that the intention is that every year between the last weeks of January and the first February, with a new moon, you can book a flight that is a unique experience that also supports a worthwhile cause.
Pete Lawrence is the next speaker: a physicist and astrophysicist by training, he is highly regarded in the UK. His program, the historic The Sky at Night (the night sky) produced by the BBC, has made him a popular and beloved character. He affectionately and rigorously explains stories and evidence of astronomy, as well as being an excellent photographer of the planets, the Moon, the Sun and different phenomena that occur around the Earth. On stage he conveys passion for what he is telling and the audience practically does not blink while he talks about the images of phenomena that occur on the screen.
A late lunch rounds off the first part of the act and the distribution of boarding passes indicates that there is less to go before the flight departs. They are written by hand and the passengers are distributed among the seats of the Airbus A320 assigned for the flight. Captain Foster comments on some details of the plane: it is a model built at the end of 2018 of the neo variant, “it has engines that have significantly reduced interior and exterior noise, in addition to significantly reducing gas emissions compared to previous generations of the same plane”, clarifies the aviator that this time he will not go to the controls but is in charge of being the coordinator between the NGO and the airline, since he is a very loved professional in the sector and has been in charge of convincing the companies of assistance on the ground and even the fuel supplier, who collaborate with the charitable cause.
In addition to the handwritten boarding pass, one of the singularities of the flight is that you only travel in window or aisle seats, leaving the center seat free. Before taking off there is excitement and the desire to take to the skies in the Airbus registered in the United Kingdom and, therefore, from the British division of Easyjet, one of the three along with the European one, with aircraft registered in Austria and Switzerland, with aircraft registered in that country.
The titular commander, Chris Wade, gives the flight information: we will be in the air for just over four hours: almost two to the north, between 30 and 40 minutes orbiting over the ocean to observe the auroras and the spectacle of the starry sky. Then two more hours to return to Gatwick. Wade is joined in the cockpit by his co-pilot Hannah Wells. The presence of a female aviator is nothing exceptional, as EasyJet is one of the airlines with the most female pilots in the world and the two technicians are accompanied by a cabin crew made up of four professionals looking after the passengers.
Once the cruising height of 38,000 feet, about 11,500 meters, is reached, the flight is no longer conventional. In order for the sight of passengers and crew to acclimate to the darkness outside, the lights are gradually dimmed until the plane is plunged into total darkness. The seatbelt and no-smoking indicators never go out if the engines are running, so the solution, proven on previous trips, is simple: black duct tape that really puts the entire cabin in darkness. To appreciate the stars and the wonderful exterior that can be enjoyed from the windows, the plane’s exterior lights are also turned off thanks to special authorization and coordination with air traffic controllers, who always have the Airbus located.
With the plane already in the dark, Pete Lawrence takes the microphone: as if he were a space guide, the BBC astronomer recounts what can be seen on each side of the plane. The celestial vault is impressive. Uniquely illuminated by the stars, the A320 has become something similar to a tube floating in space. The stars, including some shooting ones, shine. They also do it almost 11 kilometers away under the plane, the lighthouses of the Hebrides, Scottish islands north of the United Kingdom, their rays are reflected in the ocean, something almost impossible to see in a conventional flight. We do not have light pollution and following the instructions, no one is tempted to take out their mobile phone to photograph anything, as the brightness of these would break the darkness. Photos are only taken with cameras without a screen.
Once the point scheduled for observation has been reached, an equidistant place between the Faroe Islands, the Hebrides and the Norwegian city of Bergen, the plane begins to orbit developing speeds of between 340 and almost 500 knots, which is equivalent to about 630 to 920 kilometers per hour. Suddenly, after the first turn, the astronomer announces: “Look to the left: there it is.” Between the stars, a giant green stripe stretches across the sky. “Maybe it’s not the most spectacular, maybe they didn’t expect it that way… although that’s the aurora. Enjoy it,” he adds.
After a few minutes, whoever goes to the window gives up their place to the passenger who travels in the aisle seat, the plane turns several times so that the enjoyment of the aurora is on both sides, while we continue learning and distinguishing what we see thanks to Lawrence’s comments, who falls silent as Steve Young walks down the hall with his acoustic guitar. Music makes the moment even more special.
The half hour orbiting over the ocean passes in a breath and it’s time to head back to London. The commander warns us that we are starting our return while little by little that imagined spaceship illuminated only by the stars turns back into an Airbus that crosses Europe several times every day. Steve Young continues with his songs enlivening the return trip to Gatwick and there is a general toast with bubbles, with and without alcohol, in the final leg of the flight. This ends with a soft landing at the airport from which he left four hours before. Then we walk through the terminal towards the exit like the passengers of any other flight… although this has not been, because we have enjoyed something unique: seeing the northern lights from your to your from the heights.
