Destinations | Lufthansa Flyer

Pictorial: Austrian Formula 1 Grand Prix

by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 27, 2015 | Destinations, Featured, Photography, Trip Reports | 6 comments

Last week I had the chance to go to the Austrian Grand Prix held at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, Austria. For anyone who loves cars and speed, a Formula 1 weekend provides the perfect opportunity experience both. The sweet smell of methanol comes as an added bonus.

Over the course of 3 days at the track, I was able to take in several F1 practices and qualifying in addition to support races in GP2, GP3 and Porsche Masters classes. Thanks to a friend (Grazie Scott!) who arranged for VIP credentials, I was fortunate to spend most of Saturday in the Paddock area and take in the unbelievable hospitality that F1 teams provide.

The most impressive part of that experience was the ability to visit the Red Bull team garage and watch the mechanics and technicians prepare the Red Bull cars for their race. Due to the nature of their work, photography was understandably not permitted, but the images are etched in my mind. The technology and telemetry involved with an F1 car is impressive, far beyond NASCAR and IndyCar.

The track lends itself to a fantastic F1 fan experience. The layout of the track and elevation changes give visitors several great vantage points from where to watch the race. The hospitality of the locals just adds to the wonderful experience.

The track’s location is easily accessible from nearby Graz where our group of 5 stayed. With only a quick 40 minute drive on the Autobahn, getting to the track each morning and back each evening was easy. The ‘suggested’ 80mph speed limit on their beautiful autobahns just added to the overall experience of the weekend. The only down side was the €8.50 tunnel toll in each direction, so commuting cost €17 euro a day. Small price to pay……

In the photos below you’ll find a shot of each car that entered the race. I found 3 excellent vantage points that gave me a good look at the track which allowed for me to catch some fairly decent perspectives as the cars made their laps. If you’re an F1 fan, a photo of your favorite driver can be found below!

Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel….playing second fiddle to Mercedes Benz so far this year…..

This year’s winner, Nico Rosberg driving for Mercedes, passes by on the final lap.

Ferrari’s Kimi Raikonnen failed to complete a single lap at the Austrian GP….Italians are getting impatient.

Lotus’ Romaine Grosjean

Sauber’s Marcus Ericsson

Force India’s Sergio Perez

Sauber’s Felipe Nasr

Lotus’ Pastor Maldonado

Mclaren’s Fernando Alonso….thanks to Kimi, he also failed to finish a lap at the Austrian GP…..

Williams’ Felipe Massa

Mclaren’s Jensen Button

Red Bull’s Daniil Kvyat

Force India’s Nico Hulkenberg

Marussia’s Will Stevens

Toro Rosso’s Max Verstappen

Mercedes Benz’s Lewis Hamilton….leading the pack this year….so far.

Toro Rosso’s Carlos Sainz

Williams’ Valtteri Bottas

Marussia’s Roberto Merhi

LUFTHANSA Suspending Service To Certain Russian Destinations

by Lufthansa Flyer | Jun 3, 2015 | Destinations, Featured, Lufthansa | 0 comments

Citing current economic conditions in Russia as a result of various sanctions, Lufthansa has announced that it will suspend service to several Russian destinations this year.

Service to Nizhny Novgorod will end September 7, 2015.

Service to Samara will end September 6, 2015.

Service to Moscow Vnukovo will end August 31, 2015.

Resumption of services to these cities will be reconsidered if and when economic conditions warrant.

That is all…. 😉

Flying To Europe Tomorrow? Sit On The Left Side Of The Plane…Trust Me!

by Lufthansa Flyer | Apr 20, 2015 | Destinations, Featured, Photography, Travel | 4 comments

I received an e-mail alert earlier this evening ‘warning’ of a Solar Storm that promises to trigger an enhanced Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) event for tomorrow, April 20th.

According to the forecast the peak of the storm should take place at appromixately 02:00 UTC which will coincide nicely with overnight flights that depart the US and head for Europe.

Here is a map predicting the intensity of the event:

The Northern Lights should light up the skies over the North Atlantic.

A few weeks ago I was on a flight from Paine to Frankfurt and had the thrill of experiencing the Northern Lights for the first time in my life. They are worth staying up for!

The photos below are a little blurry, but with exposure requirements and the speed of the aircraft, this is the best I could do.

If you have a point-n-shoot or DSLR, you’ll want to set your exposure to 1-2 seconds and set your ISO to the 3000-5000 area and hold your camera FIRMLY against the window. However, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to experiment with your settings during the event to find the perfect combo for your camera set up. Using your phone to take pictures will probably not yield good results.

Without a camera you will still be able to see them if they are intense. If they are weaker, they will look like a thin stream of white clouds. At least thats what they looked like to me until the camera showed otherwise.

Hopefully your photos will be better than mine!