Boring morning commute? Not for the Orkney teacher who travels to work on the world’s shortest scheduled flight.
Acting head teacher Karl Simpson has been commuting to Papa Westray School from his home in South Ronaldsay for the past two years.
He flies out on Monday morning, and back on Friday afternoon, staying on Papa Westray during the working week.
Karl starts his week with a 12-minute flight from Kirkwall to Westray, where any other passengers are picked up. Then the eight-seater ‘Earl Thorfinn the Mighty’ takes off again for the two-minute flight – including taxiing – over to Papa Westray.
Recognised by Guinness World Records as world’s shortest scheduled flight
At 1.7 miles, the Westray to Papa Westray flight is recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s shortest scheduled flight.
The quickest flight with Karl on board was just 87 seconds. The all-time record is 53 seconds.
He has a car on Papa Westray which he leaves at the airfield on Fridays, and picks up on Monday morning on his way to school.
Karl admits to a sense of boyish excitement at the start of each week, ahead of his out-of-the-ordinary commute.
However, although he avoids the drudgery of bus stops and gridlock traffic, the island weather can make for some hair-raising journeys.
The ‘flying bus’: Landing sideways and bumping your head
“If the weather’s particularly bad and it’s a very bumpy flight you do think, oh crikey, why do I have to do this again?,” said Karl.
“When it’s windy, and you’re taking off sideways, landing sideways, bumping your head on the roof as it bounces. But otherwise, it’s a bit like a flying bus service really.
“One time, because of snow and the squalls coming in, instead of taking 12 minutes to get in to Westray it took us an hour and 20 minutes. Which is quite a long time in the air in a very little plane.
“We did try dropping into other airfields, and I saw parts of the islands I’ve never seen before.
“Over the last couple of years I’ve seen the windsock at the airfield getting gradually shorter as the wind destroys it.
“I once asked one of the pilots at what point do you stop flying because of the wind? And he said, well, when we get to the point where we’re scraping the wing tips along the runway, it tends to affect people’s confidence in the service.
“But I think the pilots can land anywhere in almost any weather, I think it’s the company that stops flights in the end.”
Cabin the size of a camper van
Loganair flight LM711 is a unique and not always comfortable experience.
With a cabin the size of a Volkswagen camper van, room is at a premium. And the noise of the engine is as loud as it is relentless.
But it isn’t without it’s own charm and intimacy.
“It’s a speedy service and a very friendly service. Everybody knows the pilots by name, and they know us.
“It is quite fun, you’re very much part of the flight, compared to being on a big jet or something.”
Pupils think it’s ‘pretty cool’
And there’s no need to worry about jostling with other commuters, with Karl sometimes the only passenger on board. Particularly in winter without the tourists and birdwatchers.
In fact, speaking to Karl, it soon becomes apparent that his commute is about as ideal as it comes.
And even among pupils used to the sight of small planes hopping between islands, Karl says they think it’s ‘pretty cool’ that their head teacher flies to work.
In 2018, Loganair said it hoped to start using electric-powered planes for the route within three years. However, to date the airline is still using its Briteen-Norman BN2B-26 Islander aircraft.
After the Papa Westray flight, the next shortest flight is Connemara to Inis Meáin in Ireland. Then it’s St Maarten to St Barts in the Caribbean, Minami-Daito to Kita-Daito in Japan, and Brazzaville to Kinshasa in central Africa.
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