Flight – In Search of the Northern Lights (FULL)

About this excursion

We are offering two opportunities to see the Northern Lights at a time when solar activity is at its height and possibly the last chance for you to see the Aurora Borealis for another 11 years. This is our first event – a flight and our second is a superb cruise departing on 21st February 2015. On this flight you can enjoy a wonderful journey through the star-studded sky and hear folklore legends in a quest to see the most spectacular natural phenomena known to man – the Northern Lights.

Guest astronomers will guide you on your voyage of exploration and discovery through the crystal clear winter sky and we hope to see nature’s very own spectacular light show from the aircraft as we take up our holding pattern north of the Shetland Isles.

I was fortunate to have an opportunity to try this out on 25th March 2014 and I can tell you it was an amazing, unforgettable experience. Just to see the sky so clear and full of stars and planets was awesome, but then the Aurora Borealis appeared and according to the excellent astronomers was one of their best sightings during this winter season. We cannot, of course, guarantee we will be so lucky next time, but I think we can confirm you will have an amazing experience.

For this experience we shall take you by luxury coach transport to Luton Airport, stopping en route for a late lunch/early dinner at the 5* Luton Hoo Hotel. This event was full but we have now been allocated additional seats on the plane and a larger room for our dinner at Luton Hoo Hotel.

Itinerary: A coach will pick you up from convenient points in the Milton Keynes area and we will take you to Luton Airport, stopping for a three-course early dinner/late lunch with wine + coffee/tea at the magnificent 5* Luton Hoo Hotel.

The two astronomers will be joining us for dinner. We will gather before the flight (usually around 6.00pm) for an interesting 60 minute presentation about the night sky and the Northern Lights by our guest astronomers – Nigel Bradbury and Pete Lawrence. Pete Lawrence appears on the BBC ‘Sky at Night’ TV Programme as their observing expert and is highly regarded as a world class astrophotographer. We will then board the aircraft for our flight in search of the Northern Lights. We have also managed to secure front of aircraft allocation of seats.

The flight will last about three hours and we will head northwards, as directly as possibly over Aberdeen and the Shetland Isles to a point in the North Atlantic between the UK and Icelandic airspace. During the flight the lights will be dimmed** for you to watch the Northern Lights display* and passengers will be required to rotate seats so that everyone will have a window seat at various times throughout the flight. The astronomers will also be on board, guiding you through a star-studded sky, so rarely seen through the polluted skies of Britain. If the conditions are right, it promises to be an unforgettable sight for everyone.

* Important Note: The Northern Lights are a natural phenomena which cannot be guaranteed to occur during our flight, although they have been visible on many previous outings. The intensity and brightness can vary from a gentle glow to quite dramatic curtaining effects. Our Guest Astronomer advises at least an 80% chance of sighting. Cabin and aircraft navigation light intensity is at the sole discretion of the captain. ** On board the flight the dimming of lights may mean an almost total black out and a very dark cabin.

The cost of this event includes luxury coach transport to and from Milton Keynes and Luton Airport, dinner, services of astronomers, your flight (approx. 3 hours) + all airport taxes, security charges and VAT. A passport is not essential, but you will need to provide photographic identification. We recommend you bring your passport for identification if you have one.

If you’d like to join us, please ask for a special application form. A deposit of £50 per person will secure your place.

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