On April 8 this year, a total solar eclipse will sweep across the contiguous U.S. — and while it’ll be perfectly lovely to catch the rare event by standing outside and gazing up at the sky, there may be an opportunity to see it from the sky itself.
The public charter jet service JSX has announced it’ll be arranging a specialty eclipse flight for winners of an online sweepstakes. Flight 4824, a release put out by the airlines says, will depart on April 8 from a JSX-dedicated hangar at Dallas-Love Field in Texas at 1:00 p.m. CT. The 30-seat jet will ascend 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) and travel within the path of totality — aka, the path along which you can see the moon totally eclipse the sun — then land back at the hangar by 3:00 p.m. CT. Everyone, of course, will get a window seat.
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“With Dallas taking claim as the biggest city in the path of totality, we are thrilled to make this ultra premium and rare viewing opportunity a reality via JSX,” JSX CEO Alex Wilcox said in an emailed press release. “We’re committed to prioritizing safe, simple, joy-filled flights for all and are ecstatic to be able to provide travelers with the ultimate JSX experience in tandem with this once-in-a-lifetime celestial event.”
You can enter the sweepstakes just here; entries will be accepted until March 14. If you win, you’re also allowed to bring one guest on the trip. There will be six total winners (technically 12, if you count guests).
During the flight, JSX’s Bill Gregory will offer expert commentary about the solar eclipse in real-time. Gregory previously served as NASA’s Space Shuttle Endeavour pilot, having completed 262 orbits and clocking more than 400 hours in space. He also received the NASA Space Flight Medal for his achievements. Interestingly, JSX says the jet will have free high-speed SpaceX Starlink Wi-Fi in addition to other amenities like business class legroom and in-seat power.
If this sounds fascinating to you, you’re not alone. JSX’s flight experience isn’t the only one that’s been making headlines. Delta Airlines’ path of totality flight was popular enough that the company decided to open up a second one dedicated to the event.
United Airlines also announced a flight of its own. It’s worth considering as well that other flights in the air during the eclipse may serendipitously offer a birds-eye-view glimpse of the phenomenon — even if they don’t fall along the path of totality, anyone on board may be able to see a partial solar eclipse in which the moon doesn’t appear to entirely cross in front of the sun, but does so a little bit. If those flights are close to the path, though, that’d be more like a “lotta” bit.
But, flight or not, the upcoming total solar eclipse is going to be a sight for the ages. And it’s very much fine to watch while planted on the ground. No matter where you are, however, please make sure to wear protective solar eclipse glasses. You can buy them online, find them in some stores or even pick up a free pair from Warby Parker if you’re quick enough. There is nowhere on Earth from which it’s okay to stare directly at the sun, even if it’s eclipsed by the moon.
