Northern Lights
 

Any guys out there see the northern lights this winter while flying at night? Any pics to share? I've been wanting to see, I've never seen it.

I never get that far north.

Might try the post in the majors forum, and they might be more apt to say, or even cargo, those guys fly alot at night

Reeves

I heard you can see it as far south as Michigan sometimes.

Yeah we've seen them flying up in the northern part of Michigan at night. Pretty cool.

The late run to YEG in the winter is a good opportunity...pretty good view from the flight levels.

Yeah, I've seen them a few times over Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and North Dakota. They're pretty faint this far south though, it'd be damn near impossible to get a picture of them unless you had a REALLY good camera.

They are definately cool. I've seen them in Minnesota a few different times and a couple times they were pretty bright. I haven't seen them for a few years though.

What about St. Elmo's Fire? Not as cool, but still fun. I've only gotten it once.

You probably get it more than you notice, of coarse you probably can't see your props on an ATR. I get St. Elmo's fire on the props alot in the winter, never seen it anywhere else, but I don't think the prop jobs I fly go fast enough for that.

Get it once every two or three months on the windshield depending on what type of clouds/precip we are flying through. I had no idea you could get it on the props? Ok, video time <disclaimer: Not mine>: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU0gIgE-i58

Seen it at night on the windscreen near convective activity. Pretty neat sight.

Yeah, it just shows up as a kinda greenish ring around the tips of the props. It's kinda cool to see, til you get too close to the windscreen and get zapped!:D I get it most when it's really cold and dry out side and I'm flying through snow.

A few years ago we saw them around western NY. One of the most beautiful things I have ever seen!

My wife is a photographer and took some awesome pics of the nothern lights when we went to norway. (Not taken from an airplane, but WOW they look good:) )
Take a look on her website under personal work.

First time I ever saw them was on the ground in SE Massachusetts. I saw them while flying over northern Pennsylvania. Makes you look twice and question what you've ingested over the past 6 hours. It is the coolest thing in the sky next to a meteor shower or comet, IMO.

Used to fly night freight through N. Dakota and the northern lights would light up the whole cockpit sometimes. Very cool to see. Also saw an amazing meteor shower that same winter... helps to keep a guy awake.

I didn't know you could get it on the propellers either. Pretty cooool.

heading to winnipeg tomorrow night. i hope to see them. i never have, even all the times i've flown to edmonton and calgary at night.

Saw them (Northern Lights) numerous times at 70,000 ft directly over the North Pole in the late 1960s. Read about mission at:
http://www.osti.gov/energycitations/product.biblio.jsp?osti_id=4418645

Everybody loves it until it turns into a static discharge and scares the hell out of you!

well i came into winnipeg last night. beautiful clear night up at 320. saw a faint glow on the horizon to the north and the northeast, but that was it. was that the northern lights and it was just a bad night for them? it looked more like city glow to me, although i don't think there's any cities up there that would glow like that. anyway, i guess i'll keep trying for a real northern lights sighting.

I lived in Norway for year as an exchange student in 89..... It was one of the most amazing things I have seen. We were up north of the circle, I swear I could hear it.... It filled the sky almost as if it were daylight, and then was a faint whisper.......

There are many legends in the nordic history about the Northern lights...

Thanks for the pics... Brought back some memories.



AAflyer

Yeah i grew up above the arctic circle (68 deg.N), so i absolutely know what you mean. And you can hear them on a clear crisp winter night..