Is seeing the world-famous Southern Lights phenomenon in your bucket listing? The Aurora Australis—additionally known as the Southern Lights—is the southern cousin of the Northern Lights. To witness this breathtaking spectacle, you would want to go as far south as Tasmania—however even then, the prospect of seeing the Southern Lights is spotty at finest, with solely a 1-2% likelihood on any given evening.
For many who wish to make sure that they’ll see the Aurora’s spectacular mild present, Rachel Williams of EO New Zealand has the answer. Rachel and her firm, Viva Expeditions, created a service known as Southern Lights by Flight. It flies company from Christchurch, New Zealand down towards Antarctica and thru the Auroral zone and again—multi functional unforgettable evening!
We requested Rachel about Southern Lights by Flight. Right here’s what she shared:
Is it true that Southern Lights by Flight was your Covid pivot?
Sure. Pre-Covid, we specialised completely in journey to Latin America and Antarctica. The pandemic was a horrible time as all enterprise ceased, adopted by repatriation, refunds, redundancies and just about each cost-cutting factor we might do apart from full hibernation. We wanted to do one thing to generate income till worldwide journey resumed and Southern Lights by Flight was our resolution. Not solely have we crammed the hole, we now have additionally created a high quality sustainable product that may proceed into the longer term.
Is your organization the one one providing this distinctive alternative?
We created the service and are the one ones operating it in New Zealand. I reached out to an astronomer who I knew had organised an analogous expertise for his buddies and followers but it surely had by no means been commercialised. I requested him to assist me, and he agreed. So we went to the airline, chartered the airplane, and introduced our personal astronomy staff onboard to help the pilots with navigation.
Our enterprise companions in Australia subsequently launched comparable flights. Nonetheless ours is totally different in that:
- New Zealand is additional south than Australia, so it takes us much less time to achieve the lively Auroral zone, and we will keep there for much longer. Now we have an unique contract with Air New Zealand, so replication just isn’t doable right now.
- The Worldwide Antarctic Centre is situated subsequent to the airport in Christchurch. Now we have enhanced our company’ expertise by together with an inspiring pre-flight mission the place individuals be taught from astronomers and NASA educators in regards to the Aurora and might be part of images periods previous to the flight. (See our company’ in-flight images in our Fb Group.)
What challenges did you overcome round organizing flights to see the Aurora?
- We coordinated with Greenpeace—they fearful about pointless burning of carbon—so we now have a radical carbon offsetting programme in place.
- We had some upset households of the Erabus catastrophe (when a airplane stuffed with New Zealanders crashed into Mt. Erabus in Antarctica 43 years in the past). We don’t go to Antarctica however there was nonetheless numerous push again.
- Now we have handled plane availability restrictions, rescheduling flights resulting from Covid lockdowns, and navigating consistently altering guidelines about gathering sizes, vaccination standing, and so on.
- We needed to reschedule eight flights resulting from Covid lockdowns and have managed to get three away, with a number of individuals nonetheless ready for upcoming flights.
- Now we have executed all of it with a staff of 4 (we had been 14 pre-Covid)
Although there are not any questions of safety round flying by the Aurora, we additionally handle issues like:
- All cabin lights are turned off when within the Auroral zone, so we offer everybody with a pink mild torch that enables them to see with out impacting their evening imaginative and prescient.
- Now we have particular permission to show off the airplane’s exterior security lights (wingtips and roof lights), however that is executed on the idea that there are not any different planes inside 3,000km of us on the time of flying.
How are you rising environmental consciousness?
At our pre-flight mission on the Antarctic Centre, we do an amazing presentation in regards to the setting and the way essential Antarctica is in environmental safety and the work being executed by aerospace consultants within the discipline. We discover that individuals who have a ardour for Antarctica usually tend to assist shield it, so we goal to remodel our company into Antarctic ambassadors.
What does the whole expertise entail?
The flights itself is 10 hours, departing Christchurch at 7pm and returning to Christchurch at 5am. So principally it’s:
- 3pm – Worldwide Antarctic Centre pre-flight mission expertise
- 5pm – Examine-in and welcome drinks
- 7pm – Boarding
- Dinner on the airplane earlier than all lights are turned off and Aurora viewing begins
- A number of enjoyable all through the evening, roughly 6 hours of Aurora viewing
- 3am – The lights come on for breakfast
- 5am – The airplane lands and everybody disembarks feeling drained however fully thrilled
What entrepreneurial classes have you ever discovered from this expertise?
- To assume exterior the field.
- How you can market with a zero greenback advertising funds.
- How essential it’s to take care of your self as a way to run a profitable enterprise.
- How essential relationships are, and why working collaboratively is commonly a greater strategy than straight out competitors.
What’s subsequent for you?
I’m going to Antarctica in November, so I launched a MyEO journey to see who wished to hitch me. I now have 66 EO members coming onboard—which is fabulous.
Now we have simply launched a 2023 Epic Antarctica MyEO Occasion and can have two very particular company becoming a member of us: Professor Mike Stroud OBE, the primary man to stroll unsupported throughout Antarctica and the Proper Honourable Sir John Key, former New Zealand prime minister and businessman.
