Even if you’ve managed to avoid, economy, premium economy, business class and found your way to first class- there’s still one seat that’s got you beat. You see, the view out of the side windows of any airplane hardly rival the views out the front, and there are only three seats in the house that offer those views. Sadly, you cant buy them. You can however catch a rare glimpse into life up front, thanks to a few pilots who also happen to be social media stars.
Suneil Banerjee aka The787DreamLife…
Instagram handle: the787dreamlife
Putting “dream life” in your Instagram handle creates some lofty content needs, but Suneil over delivers. If you enjoy priceless views of the clouds, sunrise, sunset or just some amazing cockpit views, Suneil is your guy. As ridiculously frequent traveler, he’s also got some amazing glimpses of cities we now want to visit. Just look at some of these…
Scott Bateman MBE aka Jumbo747Pilot
Twitter Handle: Jumbo747Pilot
Scott Bateman is a master of many trades, as a 747 Captain and Head of Constabulary for Wiltshire Police. One slightly less publicized talent is his lens skills. Scott captures unbelievable Northern Lights photos from the flight deck, offers rare glimpses into the cockpit and is just about always happy to answer flying questions.
A few seconds to decide…fly through, or go around? Nice clouds or Gin and tonic spillers? What do you think we would do? #avgeeks pic.twitter.com/JPhjUyXDgU
— Scott Bateman MBE (@jumbo747pilot) September 1, 2017
#Greenland is a rugged & beautiful place, particularly when bathed in the orange of the rising sun. Photos don’t really do it justice. 😎 pic.twitter.com/wAF2dZmmGb
— Scott Bateman MBE (@jumbo747pilot) August 31, 2017
Graduating as a pilot is the beginning of your learning journey. For me it’s lasted 28 years so far.Good luck @rycly & co #InsideTheCockpit pic.twitter.com/c5ca5vjVRs
— Scott Bateman MBE (@jumbo747pilot) August 21, 2017
Joanna Riggs aka LadySpeedbird
Instagram handle: PilotJoanna Twitter handle: LadySpeedbird
Joanna Riggs pulled off the ultimate #avgeek dream, turning from cabin crew to A380 pilot, and her social accounts are proof that if you do what you love- it’s hard not to be happy. Thanks to her candid snaps, we get to live the dream too. You can follow along on her epic journeys as she hits all destinations served by the A380- like gorgeous night skies into Los Angeles or iconic shots near the North Pole, and of course the geeky cockpit stuff we all crave.
Waiting to take off behind our colleagues… Cool #A380 pic almost doesn’t look real! #avgeek #airbus #Heathrow #LHR 👩✈️ pic.twitter.com/P7prupdXd0
— Joanna (@LadySpeedbird) August 17, 2017
Chris Holden aka That787Pilot
Twitter handle: That787Pilot
Chris Holden is a senior pilot with an amazing passion for his job. Not only is he in charge of training standards for other pilots- he’s always up for a little flying discussion on Twitter. But that’s far from the end. Flying daily to some of the coolest destinations around the world, Chris documents the view from the best seat on any airplane with amazing videos, insights and photos.
Heading East in the LAM Hold. An Essex sunrise on the BA72 from AUH. pic.twitter.com/s3350qVnT4
— Chris Holden (@That787Pilot) August 20, 2017
Sunrise over the Atlantic last night pic.twitter.com/5DPBhZxoCV
— Chris Holden (@That787Pilot) July 27, 2017
9:33 flight time back from HYD today on the BA276. pic.twitter.com/WkAoCEpgSX
— Chris Holden (@That787Pilot) June 29, 2017
James Parry aka Cl10uds
Instagram handle: Cl10uds
James Parry has got some serious photo skills. The young pilot has become a near instant-Instagram star with his captivating sunset views, gorgeous aircraft angle shots and unique insights into the magical world of cockpit life. If you need travel inspiration, look no further.
Dave Wallsworth aka CaptainDave
Twitter Handle: DaveWallsworth
Captain Dave is a legend of the skies, and amongst his peers. While we’ve highlighted some of the best photos from the sky, Dave Wallsworth is the king of cockpit time lapse. You’ll find interesting route insights, conversations and videos that make you want to book the nearest plane ticket immediately.
You’ve seen the subsequent #A380 landing 😄✈️ Here was the takeoff from Vancouver. Filmed with written permission. #BASMART @British_Airways pic.twitter.com/OBeCmx9Oy1
— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) July 7, 2017
Quite a large thunderstorm over the USA. Shown on the weather radar and then the same cloud viewed out of the window. @British_Airways pic.twitter.com/WxgAie1Toe
— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) August 15, 2017
Timelapse sunset from my hotel window in Hong Kong a couple of days ago….. pic.twitter.com/wxoTeu7Yxp
— Captain Dave (@DaveWallsworth) August 1, 2017