Pilots wow passengers with eclipse detours
The Local Norway - [email protected]
Published: 20 Mar, 2015 CET.
Updated: Fri 20 Mar 2015 23:10 CET
At least three pilots in Norway decided to take extra, unscheduled detours on Friday to give their passengers extended breathtaking views of the day's solar eclipse.
The captains commanding flights for Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Airlines, and Icelandic Air, all performed 360 degree loops to ensure that none of their passengers missed the spectacular natural occurrence.
The Scandinavian Airlines flight was on path between Oslo and Bergen when the moon covered the maximum area of the sun.
“We realized that we were going to be in the air during that magical time, and we knew that many passengers had bought tickets to experience this. So, we decided to give them an extra service.” Captain Ørjan Aasmo told Bergens Tidende, ”There is probably a great difference between a total eclipse of 100 percent, and the eclipse we saw from the plane, which was probably around 90 percent.”
To enhance the passengers’ experience, the captain chose a flight path closer to Stavanger to optimize the angle for viewing. The plane then made a turn to give the travellers seated on the other side of the aisle a view of the spectacular natural occurrence.
According to Aasmo, many passengers were on the first flight back to Oslo, having accomplished their mission of viewing a solar eclipse from the air.
”It was a very special experience”, said Kari Fure, one of the passengers on the flight, ”We didn’t dare look directly at the sun. But it was a great experience, and a great service for the passengers”
Aasmo also enjoyed the eclipse from the cockpit. “It was fascinating to see it, even though it was still quite light.”
A Norwegian Airlines flight between Værnes and Narvik also looped around for passengers' enjoyment, while an Icelandair flight from Reykjavik to Helsinki did two loops over northern Norway.
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The captains commanding flights for Scandinavian Airlines, Norwegian Airlines, and Icelandic Air, all performed 360 degree loops to ensure that none of their passengers missed the spectacular natural occurrence.
The Scandinavian Airlines flight was on path between Oslo and Bergen when the moon covered the maximum area of the sun.
“We realized that we were going to be in the air during that magical time, and we knew that many passengers had bought tickets to experience this. So, we decided to give them an extra service.” Captain Ørjan Aasmo told Bergens Tidende, ”There is probably a great difference between a total eclipse of 100 percent, and the eclipse we saw from the plane, which was probably around 90 percent.”
To enhance the passengers’ experience, the captain chose a flight path closer to Stavanger to optimize the angle for viewing. The plane then made a turn to give the travellers seated on the other side of the aisle a view of the spectacular natural occurrence.
According to Aasmo, many passengers were on the first flight back to Oslo, having accomplished their mission of viewing a solar eclipse from the air.
”It was a very special experience”, said Kari Fure, one of the passengers on the flight, ”We didn’t dare look directly at the sun. But it was a great experience, and a great service for the passengers”
Aasmo also enjoyed the eclipse from the cockpit. “It was fascinating to see it, even though it was still quite light.”
A Norwegian Airlines flight between Værnes and Narvik also looped around for passengers' enjoyment, while an Icelandair flight from Reykjavik to Helsinki did two loops over northern Norway.
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