Colourful cockpit – pilot showcases amazing night views from 30,000FT

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Christiaan van Heijst, 35, has flown all over the world capturing thousands of cities that pass by, shooting stars, the milky way, and even the northern lights.

The 747 cargo pilot always ensures he has his camera on board so he’s able to share the amazing natural views he witnesses at 30,000ft and above.

Christiaan, from the Netherlands, has shared this fascinating set of images that stretch over the past eight years of his career.

He added: “It is sometimes hard to describe to people what’s so special about flying at night when you see the stars, northern lights and dim glow of the atmosphere around.

“Or what it feels like to see the cities, countries, oceans, and continents glide by below your wings as if we’re detached from the planet.

“I think every photo tells its own story and together, like pieces of a bigger puzzle, they show a much broader picture that tells what it is like to fly across the globe at night.

“This selection of photos show a series of long exposure photos from the cockpit and airplane cabin to illustrate the possibilities of long exposure photography in the air.

“The urge to capture those beautiful views started when I had my first job as an airline pilot.

“The mesmerizing views at night of the cockpit and all its little lights, the cities that pass by, the countless of stars, the milky way, shooting stars and sometimes even the northern lights was something that just had to be captured by camera.”

Christiaan claims he has always been in awe of how the light and shadows interact so high up in the sky.

He added: “Light is behaving in a completely different way compared to what we see on the surface of the earth and this, combined with the unique perspective we pilots have from the cockpit, was just the perfect playground for my photography.

“Another thing that urged me to capture these scenes was the fact that every vista, cloud, and landscape is changing constantly and thus will never be seen again.

“Very often I’m just the only person to see that view from that perspective and I simply felt the urge to capture this beauty and share with the world.”