my first day In iceland Last August was clear and sunny, which is a tourist's dream. And it turned out to be a great day to indulge in a sightseeing activity I hadn't initially signed up to do: flying over the Reykjanes peninsula in a helicopter to get a top-down view of an active scene. Fly from above. volcanic eruptionEspecially Sundnuksgigger.
From Ryan Connolly hidden icelandA tour company that helped me organize my trip suggested a helicopter ride at the last minute because a volcano on the southwestern edge of the island had recently become active. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, I paid for the helicopter ride with my phone at 1pm after arriving in Iceland at 6:15 that morning. After a brief nap at the hotel, I made the two-hour drive to the meeting point for the 7 pm flight that evening, located 10 minutes from downtown Reykjavik.
A total of six people including the pilot were sitting in the helicopter, there was not much space in it. Based on my and my fellow passengers' height and weight, I was strategically placed at the rear-right side of the helicopter. The cabin had ceiling to floor glass windows so we could take in a full view of the landscape. We all wear headsets equipped with microphones, the only way we can communicate with each other over the noise of the helicopter's whirring sound.
Within minutes of takeoff, the pilot described the scenes below, which at first included the city but soon became a vast, empty, black land. As the helicopter dipped to the right, the erupting volcano came into full view with magma surging and glowing red and orange, a sharp contrast to the black earth. We could see the magma seeping downwards, becoming thinner and more compressed as it moved down the slope. The pilot circled the volcano a few times to give passengers on the left and right a chance to get a good look before flying over the nearby dormant volcano and explaining its history.
safety rules
John Grutter Sigurdsson, owner of atlantsflugThe helicopter touring company I used explains that planning for these flights has become standard as eruptions have become more common. “We fly as per aviation rules. Usually when an eruption begins, the area is closed off to everyone. But now the Icelandic government has set certain flight routes that we follow and certain procedures, [including] The distances of how close we can come and how high we have to be.
When I arrived that evening, the flight in front of me had been delayed. So, I waited in the office with other guests, where we talked, drank coffee and watched a live broadcast of the volcano.
Overall, there are two main reasons for a flight to be delayed or cancelled. “Sometimes the area is closed to all operations because the government is doing some measurements,” says Sigurðsson. “Something that could happen without much notice. Weather can also be a factor, especially in the winter time. If the first one or two flights are delayed, we usually make it to the third flight to get back to the contract.
How do they monitor volcanic activity
According to Sigurðsson, the government in Iceland is paying attention to volcanic activity and is constantly monitoring it. “It's like a patient living in a hospital under constant care,” he says. “I would say that they are doing measurements on a very large scale and keeping an eye on the rise of the ground in millimeters. On the graph, we see when the eruption began and then the ground subsided again. While the eruption continues, and begins to rise again, we know that magma is collecting in the same chamber. I was watching the pilot this morning that there has definitely been an increase in field elevation, and it's a repeat of what happened last time.
Volcanic eruptions are a regular occurrence in Iceland and Sigurðsson says they can be expected for the next 30 to 100 years.
My helicopter tour that night in August lasted about 40 minutes, with the six of us circling from the left side of the volcano to the right and back again. Smoke was coming up but going in the opposite direction to our flight pattern, giving us a clear view of the volcano. As the pilot took us to the airport, I noticed that the land had become more populated again before we descended toward earth. A smooth landing dropped me to the ground, and I headed to my hotel that night, glad I was in the right place at the right time.
Note: Since this article was written there has been another explosion at the same location. According to Hidden Iceland's Connolly, it is still “business as usual for international flights, main roads, local infrastructure and travel anywhere other than the eruption site, including Grindavik and the Blue Lagoon.” At the moment, the only safe way to see the volcano is by helicopter.