Delta Air Lines said the flight was slightly off the total path as air traffic control managed heavy traffic congestion and a large number of special maneuver requests along the eclipse’s path. Another Delta flight from Austin was allowed to climb to the appropriate altitude to complete a maneuver called an S-curve, but the Dallas flight was not, the airline said.
The Federal Aviation Administration did not comment specifically on Delta’s flight path, but said the agency is focused on safety as jets and commercial planes take to the skies to view the eclipse above the clouds. Ta. The FAA had previously warned of the potential for congestion and impacts on cities. air traffic.
“Our first goal and top priority is always the safety of our flights,” said FAA spokesman Chris Mulley. “We knew some traffic could be affected.”
Instead of a scheduled maneuver, Delta Air Lines’ Airbus A321neo flew in a circle to check on both sides from 33,000 feet. However, passengers did not get the view they had hoped for.
“I immediately suspected that there was a misalignment,” passenger Dimitrie Latkov told The Post on Thursday, raising the possibility that the plane missed the flight altogether. “I knew something was wrong, but I didn’t know what.”
Delta Air Lines had warned of such a possibility, even though some passengers paid more than $1,000 for their seats. For both, dallas and austin “Delta’s flight plans are designed to maximize time in flight, but there are circumstances outside of Delta’s control, such as weather or air traffic control, that may affect timing or the aircraft. subject to change due to factors.”
On Flight 1010, passengers craned their necks to catch a glimpse of the sun, including this reporter who paid nearly $850 for a refundable ticket. “Can you see it?” changed to “Did you see it?” when the plane turns. The sky and the ground were darkening, but only fleeting glimpses of the sun appeared.
Several people took photos of the sun partially obscured by the moon, and later posted thumbnails of it glowing orange. They chalked up the difficulties to the difficult angle of the sun overhead, the speed of the plane, and the range of the aircraft.
Despite the media buzz during the flight, the eclipse’s movement off its main path was not discovered until Latkov, a virology doctoral student at the Mayo Clinic, compared the flight path with the eclipse’s path. There wasn’t. flight tracking site and NASA solar eclipse map. he posted video It was published on YouTube and emailed to reporters with the subject line: “Dallas Eclipse flight took a wrong turn and deviated from the path of integrity.”
Delta Air Lines did not confirm the accuracy of Latkov’s video, but after reviewing questions from the Post, it acknowledged that the plane had veered off its total flight path.flight tracking site flight radar 24 and flight aware It shows a plane circling southeast of Jonesboro, Ark.
Delta’s first announced flight for the eclipse will be from Austin. Appeared on Flightradar24 Stay within the path.Photos from his flight clearly showed a dark sky and the sun blocking the moon, according to Detroit Free Press photographer Eric Shields. wrote on Instagram Even then, “it was extremely difficult to take photos.”
Many passengers on the Dallas flight told the Post on Monday that they were disappointed there wasn’t a better vantage point, but that they enjoyed the experience anyway. Airlines held parties before takeoff and after landing, placing bags containing special socks, hats, snacks and other trinkets on seats.
The flight’s captain told The Post on Monday that people on the left side of the plane probably had the best view, adding that the flight took just over three minutes to see the entire picture.he Said USA Today: “It was amazing. Everything went off without incident.”
Kyle Carter, a private pilot and stay-at-home dad from Orlando, said Monday he was happy to be able to see the moon’s shadow running toward the plane from behind. He said Friday that as a pilot, he understood in advance that several factors could make the experience less than ideal.
“I still want to do it again,” he said. “We went in with that kind of foreknowledge. We weren’t sure if we were going to see it.”
Latkoff, who paid more than $1,100 for a refundable ticket, said he began his trip in Minnesota early Sunday morning, slept at the Dallas airport that night and returned home around 6 a.m. Tuesday. . He said the atmosphere in his row was chatty and upbeat until the perfect match, but then it dropped.
The airline Celebration news release And while much of the coverage has been positive, he said he wants Delta to correct the record on the flight and explain what happened.
“It was a huge disappointment” and required a large financial investment, he said. “It was clearly advertised as the second eclipse flight.”