In this video we get rare access to the A350 flight deck, joining the pilots as they operate Finnair’s long polar route from Tokyo (HND) to Helsinki (HEL). At 12.5 hours this is quite a bit longer than it used to be, but that’s what it takes to avoid Russian airspace and get home. On the return leg from Tokyo the route right over the North Pole is often the quickest because of winds, and on this flight we fly out over the Pacific, through Alaskan airspace, then straight up to within about 30 miles of the North Pole before heading down to Helsinki via Svalbard and northern Norway. Along the way we encounter some nasty weather over the Pacific, enjoy a brief moment of dawn before the sun sets onces again, see the northern lights (aurora borealis) over the Arctic, try to capture a video of the North Pole in darkness, and see another fantastic and mysterious astronomical phenomenon too. This was a fantastic and fascinating flight. We hope you enjoy.
Catch the Finnair flight TO Tokyo taking the southern route (one of our most popular videos to date): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwgUXNUYvO8
AY62 flight playback – Nov 13, 2022: https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/ay62#2e322c6a
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JetPhotos.com Finnair DC-10 photo © Joan Martorell: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10335242
JetPhotos.com SAS DC-7 photo © Jon Proctor: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6987374
JetPhotos.com Air France 707 © Peter Cook: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/10291854
JetPhotos.com Air France 707 © George W. Hamlin: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6159479
JetPhotos.com JAL 727 © Jon Proctor: https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6839064
Other archival photos courtesy Finnair.
SECTIONS:
00:00 Departure from Tokyo
01:37 Avoiding Russian military exercises
01:57 Dodging weather over the Pacific
03:37 A350 flight level advantage
04:09 Harnesses on
04:45 Location of thunderstorms
05:27 Captain explains our route
06:27 Seatbelt signs off
06:42 The CPDLC explained
08:18 Short history of polar routes
08:53 A350 polar advantages
09:28 ETOPS-300
09:44 Finding the North Star
10:08 The old DC-10 flights
10:45 “A special flight”
11:05 Relief pilots take over
11:44 Dinner and a brief rest
12:45 A very brief dawn over Alaska
13:55 Back in the flight deck
14:08 NOPOL
14:33 How far are we from Thule?
15:45 Northern lights
16:33 HF radio
18:03 The compass at the Pole
18:51 The North Pole
20:18 Overflying Svalbard
20:28 Northern Norway in sight
20:39 Incredible celestial activity
21:15 Closing thoughts & approach to HEL
22:39 On the ground
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#cockpit #a350 #northpole
46 Comments
I was on a Lufthansa flight from Tokyo to Frankfurt recently. We also used the North Pole Route. The lights in the sky were fascinating ❤
i have seen the star before whilst flyng. very interesting and confusing
I am going to fly from Frankfurt to Tokyo soon and I am curious about the route. I know they have to avoid Russian airspace. Does anyone know how they do it?
I have never met an unattractive pilot. ❤
Thanks Gabriel, once again, brilliant insight into the amazing work these pilots do. Happy travels from downunder.
It's to bad that you had negative comments about Boeing and the 777.there is no need to add comments like you did.
What North Pole? We don't have a South Pole either.
The stars 😍
A truly amazing flight! Thank you for sharing!
Fascinated to see what we can do , in term of technology and responsability to link people each other through this word with highiest security and care
I see no reason to go through the North Pole. I can't understand why 'do a tour so big and so counterproductive. It makes no sense. You could cut it and get to Helsinki
Thanks Gabriel for such fascinating epic episode, what is the music album name?
Sirius
Anybody know the music used at around 15:30?
this will come in handy one day
Or even better how the A350 flies you over the pole..
Ah, Yes. Another day to grab my A350 and fly over the North Pole
An incredible experience. These guys were consummate professionals in the flight deck.
What's the deal of leaving flight deck when on US airspace?
Video is amazing, apart from the cheap-ass catalog lo-fi beats that everyone else uses, which are awful, and so inadequately and incompetently underscore how cool and majestic this flight is.
Great video. I really appreciate the detailed explanations along the way.
Thank you Gabriel for the fine videos you create !
Why they need to avoid the Russia airspace?
Do you need special training to fly this route?
Remotest ?
English is a confusing language huh
I still remember when I flew over the North Pole when flying from Hong Kong and back to Toronto, the cabin was FREEZING.
Beautiful video. I only flew Finnair twice, during my flights to and back from Helsinki for my honeymoon in 2003. Those flights happened on the MD-11. I will never forget the beautiful tri-engine plane as sat waiting for passengers to board at the gate. Such a lovely bird. Now, I can't wait to fly the Finnair A350!
THIS WAS AMAZING
I'd struggle with this job as I hate sitting for long periods. I find it tough to do as a pax on a long haul so I dont know how long haul airliner pilots do it – and they have critical work to do at the same time! And they are exposed to more levels of cosmic radiation. Massive respect to these skilled operators. They help bring the world together!
I wonder how far is the nearest emergency airport to land at the remotest point of this route?
in the 60's and early 70's, we flew Tokyo to Frankfurt via Anchorage with Lufthansa, 707, all the time, before the then Soviet Union allowed flights over their territory. The views of the ice shelves etc were amazing!
Fantastic video, thanks for sharing
these guys really. weeralgal…
Having experience as a pilot, air traffic controller, and dispatcher (aircraft flight planner) all by license, I can say that the CPDLC really does help oceanic routes a lot. We use it to/from Hawaii and the west coast of the US all the time. It simplifies communications quite a bit.
At 12:52 you can see the belt of Venus. I've seen it countless times in the air but it's the shadow of the earth on the sky. You see it when the sun is low (sunrise or sunset) and casts light on the sky above but can't reach the far east or west because the planet is in the way. It doesn't last too long so while it's an everyday thing, it's kind of cool to take in while you get the chance. I also like looking for Mercury because it's hard to catch on the ground unless you have a clear view of the eastern or western horizon (which isn't too common) and even then it's brief. Up higher you can see it for a bit longer and even see the curve of the earth with a sharp horizon (around 38,000 feet and higher).
Did y'all turn down the cockpit lights and look at the Milky Way and other stars over the ocean and polar region? I know you looked at one point for Sirius and Polaris, but the dark skies are great. We'll do it even over the continental US and see a bit, but head out where lights from below really don't exist and you'll see tons more!
I'm gonna go ahead and say aliens.. 😊
How’d you get flight deck access?
Heated underwear a must.
Отличное видео. Но все же хочу отметить, что русофобия стоит дорого. И этот необычный опыт полетов через северный полюс будет продолжатся.
To many screens on this plane
The Lunatic FInnish are spending double on fuel because they want to show how NATO they are and how much clown of the US they can be….how stupid is that
Not sure why YouTube suggested this video to me, but I'm glad it did.
Fabulous video. Guess I'm a bit surprised that the cockpit was so bright during cruise. Or was that for the video?
isnt it faster to fly over Russia? It looks shorter
even this flight look joyfull but i think this flight full of risky. pilot made that flight soo easier than look at the screen. good job pilot and crew.
In the cockpit one feels a lot more connected with the plane and to be able to see everything around in front of you is a big difference, psychologically. The more you get to the back of the cabin the more wobbly it gets. And when you're sitting in the last rows the fuselage seems flexible like a garden hose. Interesting but weird. I like night flights.