A PERfect ride to the Southern Lights

[VPS]

Kamchatka looks much more exciting - hopefully you'll get there one day. I only did a couple of hours flight this week (my first since Feb 2020) and I found the masks really took the edge off the excitement of travelling again

Thanks for the TR

 

[RooFlyer]

here is one from Tasmania 7 weeks ago.

When that was posted, there was a story about it, saying that some-one watching from that spot would not see nearly such a display with just their eyes. Not just because of the time lapse, but the sensitivity setting of the lens. That made me fell less deprived at having missed it.

 

[drron]

Though Chimu is saying that the sky exploded with light on your flight.
this from Facebook.
Last night’s Chimu Adventures Southern Lights flight from Perth down to Antarctica.
The aurora was subtle for the majority of the flight, and then as we were turning to head for home the sky exploded with light!

 

[JohnM]

Though Chimu is saying that the sky exploded with light on your flight.
this from Facebook.
Last night’s Chimu Adventures Southern Lights flight from Perth down to Antarctica.
The aurora was subtle for the majority of the flight, and then as we were turning to head for home the sky exploded with light!
View attachment 247581

That was the 'curtain' I mentioned in post #11 - ironically after we had turned for home after spending hours roaming the skies way down there.

But that was when I was in 7F. I caught a reasonable look at it peering across from the aisle, but it was nothing like it would have been if I had been able to cup my hands around my face at the window. And nothing like the professional pic.

That underscores what I've been saying about the limitations of the seats. Besides, he may have been the guy on the flight deck.

They have understated the 'subtle for most of the flight' and overstated 'the sky exploded with light'. Certainly, it was good but I didn't hear people going into paroxysms. The thing about auroras is that photographs (well-taken) reveal much more than the human eye can see.

Don't get me wrong. It was good and once I get access to the photos, it will better put into context what I did. That nice feeling of "I've been there." But for the casual observer, realistically what they really need is a monster event to get the best out of it. We did not get that. Nobody's fault; Nature just didn't play along.

It's also why I've sent a message to Chimu asking where the photographers have put all the pics for the pax to access.

But all that said, I still think there are limitations in doing things like this in a B787 compared with a good 'ol B747.

As an aside, I had taken my five year old grandy to the zoo yesterday afternoon for the 'giraffe encounter' I bought for his birthday a couple of weeks ago. Just my luck; we get up on the platform and the giraffes just look at us from across the enclosure and refuse to come over to eat our offerings. At that point, I knew I was doomed last night...

Always be prepared to be disappointed - JohnM's epitaph.

 

[Daver6]

But all that said, I still think there are limitations in doing things like this in a B787 compared with a good 'ol B747.

So a 737 it is next time for you

 

[Kiwi_Flyer]

Sounds like the NZ aurora flights (ex-CHC) had much better luck with the viewing. The articles also mentioned the professional photos would look much brighter than you'd see with the naked eye (or could take on a phone). That said, at least they were able to get the cabins fairly dark.

I thought about booking one of the NZ aurora flights but decided against it. Too hit and miss, and the NZ 787 config is terrible in business class for viewing out the window (I bet some people have a bad neck afterwards).

 

[drron]

NZ flights don't have to go far to encounter an aurora-see map in post 12.

 

[Bindibuys]

Hi, it's me booked on a flight out of MEL 25 Sept.
I found this just a few minutes ago from your flight:

Interesting feedback from one of the guests on board the competitor’s aurora flight out of Perth over the weekend.

“Good Afternoon
Thanks for the email regarding the flight in September but I went this Saturday the 8th from Perth and was totally disappointed and disgusted. They kept announcing that there were some lights but didn’t see anything. I was economy and first half of the flight was sitting in an aisle seat next to a couple who hogged the window and I couldn’t see anything, second half of the flight when we had to swap seats I was then put in the middle and another passenger was on the window and again hogged the window when I asked her to move a little so I could see she gave me a mouthful saying she had been waiting for hours to move so she was going to do what she wanted. Very rude indeed.”

It’s no wonder I decided with my own flight here at Quo Vadis Holidays we will NOT to try and fill the plane and NOT ask guests to rotate seats halfway PLUS why we decided to wait until the equinox week when there is a MUCH greater probability of decent auroras.
It certainly pays to shop around and make sure you book with a company that’s trying to maximise the guest experience rather than maximise the size of their profits...

Quo Vadis Holidays “Southern Lights Flight” Sept 25/26 2021
Economy Class: Fully Booked
Premium Economy: TWO seat pairs remaining
Business Class: EIGHT seat pairs remaining
https://quovadisholidays.com/.../2021-southern-lights.../
[email protected]

So we are booked into row 55 (yes Ekkk) seats A & C, we do not move/share with anyone else. I swap with hubby if/when I want to, so leaning over each other will not be a problem.
I emailed asking about photography, and what camera's I have, great reply and list of items that will make my photography better on the night, thou they will have a few photography experts on hand, I want to be well informed prior and be ready.
Somewhere else I read about wrapping a blanket around your head to black out the ambient light, I intend to build a "tent" around us to keep the light out.
And here is my "practice window" for setting up the camera and how best to have it on the night.
Yes, I would have made a fabulous boy scout - be prepared.

 

[Daver6]

Hi, it's me booked on a flight out of MEL 25 Sept.
I found this just a few minutes ago from your flight:

Interesting feedback from one of the guests on board the competitor’s aurora flight out of Perth over the weekend.

“Good Afternoon
Thanks for the email regarding the flight in September but I went this Saturday the 8th from Perth and was totally disappointed and disgusted. They kept announcing that there were some lights but didn’t see anything. I was economy and first half of the flight was sitting in an aisle seat next to a couple who hogged the window and I couldn’t see anything, second half of the flight when we had to swap seats I was then put in the middle and another passenger was on the window and again hogged the window when I asked her to move a little so I could see she gave me a mouthful saying she had been waiting for hours to move so she was going to do what she wanted. Very rude indeed.”

It’s no wonder I decided with my own flight here at Quo Vadis Holidays we will NOT to try and fill the plane and NOT ask guests to rotate seats halfway PLUS why we decided to wait until the equinox week when there is a MUCH greater probability of decent auroras.
It certainly pays to shop around and make sure you book with a company that’s trying to maximise the guest experience rather than maximise the size of their profits...

Quo Vadis Holidays “Southern Lights Flight” Sept 25/26 2021
Economy Class: Fully Booked
Premium Economy: TWO seat pairs remaining
Business Class: EIGHT seat pairs remaining
https://quovadisholidays.com/.../2021-southern-lights.../
[email protected]

So we are booked into row 55 (yes Ekkk) seats A & C, we do not move/share with anyone else. I swap with hubby if/when I want to, so leaning over each other will not be a problem.
I emailed asking about photography, and what camera's I have, great reply and list of items that will make my photography better on the night, thou they will have a few photography experts on hand, I want to be well informed prior and be ready.
Somewhere else I read about wrapping a blanket around your head to black out the ambient light, I intend to build a "tent" around us to keep the light out.
And here is my "practice window" for setting up the camera and how best to have it on the night.
Yes, I would have made a fabulous boy scout - be prepared.

I reckon something like this Anti-glass Ultimate Camera Lens Cover Hood Anti-reflective Silicone Photos S* | eBay would certainly help.

If you want to get some photography practice, its essentially the same method as one would use for wide-field astro photography. A wide angle lens, aperture right open and importantly, know how to properly manually focus your lens to infinity (not just rotating the focus ring to the infinity marker).

 

[Bindibuys]

Yes, that's what I purchased, along with a camera holder

DDMOUNT-MINI - Delkin Devices Fat Gecko Mini Camera Mount​

 

[Bindibuys]

This is the info Tim sent me. (may help anyone else planning a flight)

Haha, no problems to “bug me” at all. In fact the plan is to have two to three aurora photographers on board to assist everyone with their pics!

They’ll be from the local Southern Hemisphere Aurora Group and possibly Aurora Hunters Victoria. They both have facebook pages with a few thousand followers each and both of their page administrators have GREAT aurora photography experience. Will be great to have them on board assisting!

Once the flight is confirmed I’ll be sending out some more formal photography setting advice for best results.

Having said that, yes indeed it's never too early to start preparing. In the meantime I’ve had a quick look online at those two cameras. (I had told him what my cameras were in previous email)

Both have very fast f1.8 - f2.8 apertures which is great (wide open apertures are needed to capture anything in low light)

Both have manual settings too which is great.

As you’ll be taking photos though the windows the main thing to avoid is any light reflection from the glass of the window. You’ll be needing to have the cameras set to Manual (or in the options for perhaps “Scene” select “Night Photography” (usually the image for this is a picture of a crescent moon on a landscape)

That will allow you to take along exposure of around 3” to 10” which you can either set manually or by using the night photography mode. (Check each camera manual how to do that).

f you can manually adjust the ISO setting to around 800ASA to 1600ASA (this is the film speed - the higher the number the faster the camera sensor is “gathering light”)

As they will be long 3”-10” exposures you will have to ensure the camera does not move or get bumped when held up against the window. You could try at home in the evening in fact from inside your home trying to take a photo looking outside. Hold the camera hard ups against the window and keep it as absolutely steady as possible. See how that goes!

You can in fact by small camera mounts with suction cups which will suction onto a window (but not the porous panelling around the plane window as it won’t stick).

I have a heavy-duty one with two-suction cups I’ll be using for my big Nikon camera and large lens. (See my step below showing simulated plane window size also)

Delkin Devices Fat Gecko Dual-Suction Camera Mount

You won’t need one that heavy-duty so you could even look at getting one a bit smaller based on the weights of those two cameras.


A hood to prevent light getting in an reflecting off the glass is handy too - moreso for the Lumix: I haven of these for my big Nikon setup:

Anti-glass Ultimate Camera Lens Cover Hood Anti-reflective Silicone Photos Hw | eBay


A tripod could possibly be used but given the seating configurations and window I’m thinking that tripods won’t be that handy.

Give that a go in the meantime without the suction mount and hood and see what kind of results you can get photographing a dark back/front yard if you have one . The darker the better to simulate a dark sky (not a bright yard as the photo will be overexposed!)

Hope that helps a little to get you started. As mentioned I’ll be sending through some tips and tricks to everyone once the flight is confirmed (hopefully very soon!)

Good luck and please let me know how you go!

Happy snapping!

Tim

Tim Kozma

Director

Quo Vadis Holidays

 

[JohnM]

Hi, it's me booked on a flight out of MEL 25 Sept.
I found this just a few minutes ago from your flight:

Interesting feedback from one of the guests on board the competitor’s aurora flight out of Perth over the weekend.

“Good Afternoon
Thanks for the email regarding the flight in September but I went this Saturday the 8th from Perth and was totally disappointed and disgusted. They kept announcing that there were some lights but didn’t see anything. I was economy and first half of the flight was sitting in an aisle seat next to a couple who hogged the window and I couldn’t see anything, second half of the flight when we had to swap seats I was then put in the middle and another passenger was on the window and again hogged the window when I asked her to move a little so I could see she gave me a mouthful saying she had been waiting for hours to move so she was going to do what she wanted. Very rude indeed.”

It’s no wonder I decided with my own flight here at Quo Vadis Holidays we will NOT to try and fill the plane and NOT ask guests to rotate seats halfway PLUS why we decided to wait until the equinox week when there is a MUCH greater probability of decent auroras.
It certainly pays to shop around and make sure you book with a company that’s trying to maximise the guest experience rather than maximise the size of their profits...

Quo Vadis Holidays “Southern Lights Flight” Sept 25/26 2021
Economy Class: Fully Booked
Premium Economy: TWO seat pairs remaining
Business Class: EIGHT seat pairs remaining
https://quovadisholidays.com/.../2021-southern-lights.../
[email protected]

So we are booked into row 55 (yes Ekkk) seats A & C, we do not move/share with anyone else. I swap with hubby if/when I want to, so leaning over each other will not be a problem.
I emailed asking about photography, and what camera's I have, great reply and list of items that will make my photography better on the night, thou they will have a few photography experts on hand, I want to be well informed prior and be ready.
Somewhere else I read about wrapping a blanket around your head to black out the ambient light, I intend to build a "tent" around us to keep the light out.
And here is my "practice window" for setting up the camera and how best to have it on the night.
Yes, I would have made a fabulous boy scout - be prepared.

BB, I had a funny feeling that it was you who had made reference to an Aurora flight, but I thought it was to occur before now, so I started to doubt myself.

I'm not surprised about the reaction you posted. I think that there would have been a lot of disappointed people.

The real question that arises is whether it was just because we had very minimal activity or whether people's expectations exceeded what is possible to deliver by peering through an aircraft window, even if the show is good.

I just somehow feel that for a visual experience, ground-based viewing might be better because of the large field of view. But the cloud risk is immense in places where land-based viewing is possible.

As I mentioned, I have viewed the Aurora Borealis in N Iceland, but in late summer so it was not optimal. However, the 'bigness' of the land-based experience relative to the aircraft-based experience is, I think, likely to be hard to beat.

The aircraft-based experience may be better for the (very) keen photographer.

Looking forward to your TR!

 

[JohnM]

I contacted Chimu about the pro photos.

They will be sorted and uploaded in about two weeks and they will send an email to customers when they are ready.

I shall report back.

 

[jb747]

I’ve been a long way north, and south, and have never seen the ’lights’….

 

[JohnM]

I’ve been a long way north, and south, and have never seen the ’lights’….

That does really surprise me! Thanks for the comment.

A mate of mine in PER is a recently retired EK A380 Check Captain. I must ask him whether he's seen Auroras. I've never thought to do so before because I imagined that it would be a commonplace observation for many pilots.

 

[suze2000]

I was once on a flight MEL-PER and the Captain came on the PA and announced that if you looked out the window to the south you could see the aurora, but alas, I could not see anything. Maybe there was a soft glow, but my overriding memory of it is being really disappointed. I didn't know then what I know now and was expecting to see something like the Northern Lights.

 

[drron]

The only time I have seen an aurora in Tassie was from the window seat on a QF Dash 8 on approach into DPO from the west.Fortunately I was on the right hand side.

 

[JohnM]

Hi, it's me booked on a flight out of MEL 25 Sept.
I found this just a few minutes ago from your flight:

Interesting feedback from one of the guests on board the competitor’s aurora flight out of Perth over the weekend.

“Good Afternoon
Thanks for the email regarding the flight in September but I went this Saturday the 8th from Perth and was totally disappointed and disgusted. They kept announcing that there were some lights but didn’t see anything. I was economy and first half of the flight was sitting in an aisle seat next to a couple who hogged the window and I couldn’t see anything, second half of the flight when we had to swap seats I was then put in the middle and another passenger was on the window and again hogged the window when I asked her to move a little so I could see she gave me a mouthful saying she had been waiting for hours to move so she was going to do what she wanted. Very rude indeed.”

It’s no wonder I decided with my own flight here at Quo Vadis Holidays we will NOT to try and fill the plane and NOT ask guests to rotate seats halfway PLUS why we decided to wait until the equinox week when there is a MUCH greater probability of decent auroras.
It certainly pays to shop around and make sure you book with a company that’s trying to maximise the guest experience rather than maximise the size of their profits...

Quo Vadis Holidays “Southern Lights Flight” Sept 25/26 2021
Economy Class: Fully Booked
Premium Economy: TWO seat pairs remaining
Business Class: EIGHT seat pairs remaining
https://quovadisholidays.com/.../2021-southern-lights.../
[email protected]

So we are booked into row 55 (yes Ekkk) seats A & C, we do not move/share with anyone else. I swap with hubby if/when I want to, so leaning over each other will not be a problem.
I emailed asking about photography, and what camera's I have, great reply and list of items that will make my photography better on the night, thou they will have a few photography experts on hand, I want to be well informed prior and be ready.
Somewhere else I read about wrapping a blanket around your head to black out the ambient light, I intend to build a "tent" around us to keep the light out.
And here is my "practice window" for setting up the camera and how best to have it on the night.
Yes, I would have made a fabulous boy scout - be prepared.

BB, I had a closer look at the Quo Vadis offer. They have clearly thought it through far more rigorously than Chimu. (Or maybe they have been operating these flights for longer and have learned that the hard way from complaints. I would be surprised if Chimu did not get complaints and wouldn't be surprised to see future Chimu offer parallel that of Quo Vadis.)

The main thing is that they have already identified precisely what I did: these flights do not suit single travellers. People need to be able to freely share seat pairs or groupings; formalised seat swapping is simply impractical and likely to cause angst or conflict. When I flew over Antarctica, I went with a friend, so we were able to freely access our windows without causing offence or dispute.

The only single seat option provided for by Quo Vadis is two seats in J. It has to be 1A, and 1K. Chimu had 1A locked out for their astronomers, photographers etc. It would appear that whoever got allocated 1K had a huge bonus. (Should I mention the error in the Chimu seat plan showing a xF swap with xG...? )

Based on my experience and scoping the Quo Vadis offer, I would say with Chimu, do not go as a single traveller unless assured of being in 1K. It appears that Quo Vadis will not even offer to sell a single seat once 1A and 1K have been snared.

A brief look at the whY seat plans also shows some very serious limitations with the Chimu offer compared with that of Quo Vadis, related to seat rotation, in the context of the general viewing limitations I identified. People can quickly work out from a comparison of the whY seating that Quo Vadis is far superior.

If nothing else, I hope my TR has alerted people who may consider one of these flights about this serious limitation for solo pax.

As I mentioned, I did not actively seek out this flight. I had a chunky deposit with a third-party travel agent that was a sunk cost. It was either use it or face the very real prospect of losing it - so I blew it.

 

[Bindibuys]

The only way for a single seat, is to add it to the 2 seats already booked.
Daughter has been um// ahh ing about joining us, as the lights are on her bucket list, but funds are short for her, and was waiting until closer to departure to commit.
One of my emails from them this week said they had a special on this month, extra person $995 instead of $1495.
So I have just gone ahead and added her to our booking. It can be her pressie for becoming Dr B.
I will surprise her with her tickets one day..... (thou she still gets Why for Syd-mel-syd) and lounge passes for both airports.

 

[JohnM]

The only way for a single seat, is to add it to the 2 seats already booked.
Daughter has been um// ahh ing about joining us, as the lights are on her bucket list, but funds are short for her, and was waiting until closer to departure to commit.
One of my emails from them this week said they had a special on this month, extra person $995 instead of $1495.
So I have just gone ahead and added her to our booking. It can be her pressie for becoming Dr B.
I will surprise her with her tickets one day..... (thou she still gets Why for Syd-mel-syd) and lounge passes for both airports.

So you are saying that your generosity did not extend to one of the two true single seats Quo Vadis offers… in J…

Mean mother.