A PILOT has revealed what terrifies him in the cockpit when flying at night.
US Air Force and commercial pilot Ron Wagner has seen wonderful and strange things from the air.
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As well as simultaneously seeing different cities that are hundreds of miles apart, Wagner has also experienced rare weather phenomena and storms.
It was experiencing one of these weather events at night that left him terrified.
“Speaking of things that gave me the creeps in jet cockpits at night was when we got St Elmo’s Fire dancing all over the windshield,” he told The Telegraph.
The weather phenomenon also known as witch’s fire is created by electrostatic discharge that glows blue or violet.
There can also be a buzzing sound due to the electric field.
St Elmo’s Fire is often a sign of an incoming thunderstorm or a volcanic eruption.
“Sometimes it would come into the cockpit and dance on the glare shield,” Wagner explained.
“Despite being a smart guy with an aerospace engineering degree, St Elmo’s Fire always creeped me out.
“Something in my unconscious gets weirded out at the sight of dancing electricity at night.”
Wagner has also seen “the infamous and elusive green flash” from his seat in the cockpit.
This happens at sunset when the “last tiny dot of the sun” goes over a clear horizon, he said.
It is very rarely seen from the ground.
One of the most awe-inspiring sights was when the former US Air Force Pilot flew on a clear night and saw the lights of multiple cities at once in all directions even though they were miles apart.
“Going east somewhere around Oklahoma City and Tulsa I have seen the lights of Dallas (180 miles) and Houston (420 miles) in one direction and Kansas City (300 miles) and St Louis (460 miles) in the other direction, all at the same time,” he said.
But, flying at night over the ocean is another matter, pilot and flying instructor Tim Sanders revealed.
“Many times when I am making oceanic crossings at night, there is nothing outside the windshield but blackness for hours on end,” he said.
When pilots can no longer see anything out of their windows, they have to rely on the technology in the cockpit such as navigation and weather sensors to keep them on track and safe.
While pilots have shared what they deal with in the cockpit, a flight attendant has revealed the “polite” passenger act that they secretly hate.
Sometimes kindness can backfire and end up creating more work for cabin staff.
Other attendants have shared middle-seat hacks and revealed why the window seat may not always be the best option.
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