Boeing 777 captain shares incredible time-lapse video from cockpit

A Boeing 777 captain has shared extraordinary footage of what he could see from the cockpit as passengers slept on a flight to Bangkok.

A Swiss Air pilot has shared footage of what he could see from the cockpit, including dramatic lightening storms and clear views of the Milky Way, on a recent flight.

As most of the passengers on board slept, Boeing 777 captain Ralf Rohner, 50, shot the footage while the plane was cruising at about 10,000m between Zurich and Bangkok.

The incredible vision has already clocked up more than 43,000 views on Instagram, but Mr Rohner said he wasn’t originally setting out to film a time-lapse video.

“I wasn’t planning to do a time-lapse but was aiming for sharp stills,” he said.

“To have a reasonable chance to capture enough exposures with pinpoint stars that allows me to stack the sky, I nevertheless have to capture a rather long sequence. I therefore decided to stitch the sequence into a time-lapse movie.”

The first part of the video captures some of the flight over the northern Indian city of Lucknow as the plane made its way to Bangkok.

Bright flashes of lightning can be seen bursting in the clouds as the plane cruises above, with the incredible Milky Way filling the rest of the view.

The return journey, back to Zurich, offered some views of other celestial wonders.

“Due to the westbound track, the Milky Way is only visible at the very left edge of the frame, where the Southern Cross and the stars Alpha and Beta Centauri are slowly setting below horizon,” Captain Rohner said.

The extraordinary views thanks to clear skies. Picture: skypointer2000

The intense flashes of lightning can be seen among the clouds. Picture: skypointer2000

The veteran pilot has attracted more than 10,000 followers on Instagram with his stunning night-time photography all over the world but predominantly the scenic Swiss Alps.

His 40-second video from the Zurich-Bangkok return flight compressed about 90 minutes of footage taken from his camera that was fixed to the cockpit window with suction cups, he told 9 News.

But not all flights offered such extraordinary views, he added.

“There shouldn’t be too much moon, so it has to be around a new moon, and it’s more interesting if there’s a Milky Way visible,” he said.

“So it depends on the season and the flight direction.”