A livestreamed video of planes landing at Heathrow Airport has attracted over 200,000 people watching in awe as huge passenger jets take on Storm Eunice.
Big Jet TV‘s feed from a field next to one of the runways shows pilots testing their flying skills to the limit as they attempt to touch down in extremely high winds.
Most managed to land safely, but a number of jets had to take a number of attempts at it or divert completely.
Viewers watched on nervously as a Qatar Airways Airbus A380, the biggest passenger aircraft in the world, finally landed successfully on its third attempt.
Peaking at over 200,000 viewers, the stream is presented by Big Jet TV’s Jerry Dyer, who has been fielding calls from the media while commentating on the landings.
He told BBC Radio 2: “This is the best scenario you could possibly imagine – big kudos to the pilots and the crews working at the airports, this is the most exciting stuff you could possibly get.
“Right now, these conditions with 70mph gusting winds, it’s pretty intense.”
The stream has proved a huge hit online, with thousands sharing their thoughts on Twitter.
TV presenter Richard Osman tweeted: “172,000 people now watching the live Heathrow feed of @BigJetTVLIVE.
“Incredible, and very reassuring, to watch the skill of the pilots. And fascinating to hear the commentary too as all the news channels descend to interview the presenter.”
GLUED to Big Jet TV. The poor pilots, crew and passengers landing just now. I need a complimentary Bloody Mary to get through just watching it. https://t.co/R9TzmgvKdr
— Adam Kay (@amateuradam) February 18, 2022
“The pilot of Queen of Hearts is inbound…his wife is watching”@BigJetTVLIVE giving us the best drama of the year pic.twitter.com/QABMS5hNSo
— Greg James (@gregjames) February 18, 2022
Storm Eunice is one of the worst storms to hit the UK in a generation, with millions of people urged to stay at home for the day due to safety fears.
Tens of thousands of homes have been left without power, while flights, trains and ferry services have been suspended, and roads, schools and businesses have shut as potentially record-breaking gusts of more than 120mph have been recorded in the most exposed areas.
Even though the first of the Met Office’s two ultra rare “red” weather warnings expired at midday affecting the south west of England and south Wales, a second remains in place until 3pm across the East of England and London due to the combination of high tides, strong winds and storm surge.
Parts of London’s O2 Arena roof ‘ripped off’ as Storm Eunice hits capital
But attention is already turning to the impact beyond Friday afternoon, with further disruption to travel and more weather warnings issued for Saturday.
Amid the chaos – with swirling gusts felling trees, tossing debris in the air, and damaging homes and buildings, including London’s O2 Arena – emergency services were forced to issue warnings for people to stay away from the worst-affected areas.
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