Memoirs from the Orange Army

Saint Elmo's Fire

The flight deck is one of the best places to see the most magical and yet mysterious sights of earth. From the Aurora Borealis to a Solar Eclipse, many wonders are best seen in the sky. Personally for me, I think the best thing seen from the sky is the colour-strewn Sky from the dawn of a brand new day. I have spoken to many flight crew and have asked them about some of the best things they have seen inflight.

This chapter brings you some of the most bizarre, mind-blowing and even hilarious accounts of flight deck and crew on their best memories so strap yourself in and brace yourself as we may experience some turbulent accounts.

I start with one of the first stories I ever heard in the flight deck. The captain and the first officer were making necessary preparations ready for take off when the captain looked into the cabin and noticed a very beautiful busty blonde lady sat in the first row. They excitedly told the first officer about her but the first officer was afraid to look round for fear of being caught.

The captain then offered to take a picture with their phone and very slyly leant back out of sight whilst sliding the camera lens of the phone to the edge of the seat. After managing to establish a good focus, the captain promptly took the picture before realising the flash was on. Both members of the flight deck looked horrified at each other wondering what their excuse could be for such an action. They both peered fearfully round their seats to see if the lady had noticed. Not only had she noticed the bright flash but a frown curved across her face. Her frown then changed into a cheeky smile and wink before promptly pulling down her top to reveal just how busty she was. Needless to say, that flight deck not only blushed but had never forgotten the very brief event and have proudly regaled this story ever since.

One of the most common sights that flight deck members have seen are shooting stars. Many have told me and even shown me beautiful pictures of an almost black sky strewn with sparkling dots and white streaks raining across the world. The northern lights, which are also known as the Aurora Borealis, are also a common occurrence when flying into Inverness or Keflavik Airports. I have never been lucky to see them myself but members of the flight deck have told me of wonderful but yet eery greenish-yellow glow flowing like water across the sky.

I recently had one first officer tell about how they used to be able to see the Costa Concordia laying stricken on its side just shortly after flying out of Rome Fiumicino. They told me it was always one of the strangest sights they saw, seeing such a large ship looking all forlorn whilst being beaten by the waves.

I think one of the worst things I ever heard from someone in the flight deck was around the time of the recent GermanWings incident. They could recall flying back from somewhere when they were flying over the Alps and they noticed a very strange sight. The one hillside appeared to shimmer a bright white glow and the captain thought it was distress lights. They grabbed the binoculars for a closer inspection just in case anybody was in trouble so they could send coordinates of the site for further help. It was then that they quickly realised it was not distress lights but small shreds of metal reflecting the sun. Then they saw people in high visibility jackets and vests crawling over the whole site. The captain realised what they were witnessing was in fact the crash site of the GermanWings aircraft. The captain was left feeling rather vulnerable after what they seen. It made them realise their own mortality, it could have been anybody.

Sometimes it can be the most simplest of things that please the flight deck. Many of the more experienced staff will appreciate little things such as a chat or a smile and it will be the best thing to happen to them all day despite the exciting experiences they may have had. One captain, who used to fly frequently to India, said he used to enjoy the stunning views of Mount Everest, the lush landscapes of India and "the lovely crew who brought him his coffee".

There are many Captains and First Officers whom I have spoken with who also agree that one of the best things they have seen in the flight deck was not actually outside of the aircraft but in the flight deck itself. It would be none other than a Captain called Maria White. I have had the pleasure of flying with her and she is reputedly one of the most beautiful ladies in the company. She is also a great lady and her patience and understanding extends further than most flight deck crew.

Other flight deck also mentioned seeing the active volcano Vesuvius with wisps of mustard yellow smoke rising as one of the most exciting and yet truly scary sights they've seen whilst landing into Naples but that's part of another chapter for another day.

A lot of flight deck crew have great interest in the vast and dark space above the sky. Many have reported the joys of clearly seeing Venus in the sky and I even spoke to one First Officer who was in the sky at the time of the most recent solar eclipse. They described the event as if they were witnessing the death of the world and quietly watched the moon pass over the sun and bringing its eerie atmosphere with it.

One of the best things that I've possibly seen in the flight deck was when I had not long started the job. During the flight, I sat in the flight deck talking to the boys when they were told by Air Traffic Control to descend by one thousand feet. The Captain responded whilst the First Officer checked the radar and there was another aircraft that was due to head straight over the top of us. We could see it in the distance and the first officer commented on how big the aircraft was. It steadily grew bigger and bigger until we realised it was an Emirates Airbus A380. The sheer size not only cast a shadow over the aircraft but the power of the engines also made our aircraft sway side to side for a few seconds. It was a beautiful moment as this is normally a rare occurrence and I certainly felt special for being able to see such an event.

The flight deck crew are truly wonderful people. Their dedication to the passengers and crew onboard is something I've not seen before. They always enjoy having crew visit the flight deck, it gives them a break from each other. It's difficult for them to maintain conversations with each other when they are on a long flight as they will naturally run out of things to talk about. I always try to make time to visit them and spend a bit of time chatting to them as they are one of us, they are crew and sometimes I think Cabin Crew forget that. So, for the crew out there, always remember your flight deck and for all the passengers, make sure you thank your flight deck when departing the aircraft. They work tirelessly to ensure your safety whilst also getting you to your destination in the quickest way possible.

'A simple "thank you" costs absolutely nothing for you but can mean absolutely everything for somebody else' - Unknown