Topline
With Storm Eunice battering the British Isles with record-breaking winds gusting up to 122 mph, sending millions inside for cover, hundreds of thousands have tuned into a livestream from London’s Heathrow Airport to watch planes struggle to land amid the difficult conditions.
Key Facts
Jerry Dyer, who runs Big Jet TV, has built up a cult following for his livestreams of planes landing at Heathrow, but on Friday his channel hit record numbers of viewers who tuned in to watch airliners struggle through the extreme winds.
More than 200,000 people watched Dyer’s livestream simultaneously at times Friday, according to the Guardian, and used the YouTube channel’s live chat feature to discuss the embattled landings.
Dyer has gone viral partly because of his enthusiasm for flight, excitedly commenting on the plane’s trajectories and congratulating the pilots from afar on landing with such encouragements as “Go on, son,” “Nicely done,” and “Fair play, mate,” according to the BBC.
Several people joined Dyer in person to watch the planes land at Heathrow from a nearby field by Friday afternoon, footage from the livestream shows.
Crucial Quote
“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,” Dyer told the BBC Friday. “What is great is you get to see the skill of the pilot and how they manage to handle it.”
Key Background
The Met Office, Britain’s weather service, issued warnings across the country Friday for dangerous winds and flooding. Winds gusted as high as 122 mph on the Isle of Wight, believed by the Met Office to be the highest ever recorded in England. A man in County Wexford, Ireland, died Friday after he was hit by a falling tree as he cleared debris from the storm, according to the Guardian.
Further Reading
Big Jet TV: livestreaming of planes landing during Storm Eunice goes viral (The Guardian)
Storm Eunice: Big Jet TV turns plane-watching into a phenomenon (The BBC)
