Aerial pictures taken during a flight from the foggy lowlands of Switzerland to the sunny, snowy Engadin for a lunch. We flew with a Rockwell Commander from Moonlight Air. Some air layers were full with ice crystals and caused pretty optical phenomena like a colorful glory. A few weeks later a private jet made a crash landing in Samedan due to the many snow. The two pilots died in that accident.
Fig. 1: Aerial view of flying over the fog sea. Air field Triengen was covered by a thick layer of clouds. We flew underneath it until we found a blue hole above Lake Sempach and then climbed above the clouds. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=28 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:00:36
Fig. 2: Aerial view of the fog sea. Fog is most pretty when seen from above. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/640 s; f=31 mm; f/13.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:02:31
Fig. 3: The first hills are rising above the fog sea. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=70 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:03:13
Fig. 4: Flying above the fog sea and passing by Mount Pilatus nearby Lucerne. Unfortunately there is a reflex in the sky because I didn't took that picture through the small ventilation opening in the cabin door's window. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=28 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:03:45
Fig. 5: The fog is getting thinner. The river Engelberger Aa is shining through the haze like a line of silver. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/400 s; f=31 mm; f/13.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:04:17
Fig. 6: Lucerne's "own" mountain is the Pilatus. It rises above the fog sea while we were flying by. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=48 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:04:49
Fig. 7: Flying over the mountains of the snowy Swiss Alps in winter is just beautiful, especially when there's fog in the flat lowlands. The air above is then even clearer. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=40 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:06:37
Fig. 8: The fog line divides wet, cold and dull winter depressions and happy, sunny winter days. The small village on the right edge of the picture is called Rinderbühl and the few houses on the border of the woods below is Rotifluh. Both lie above Emmeten on Mount Schattigenstock. The small valley behind is called Gorneren with the Choltalback brook. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=70 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:06:47
Fig. 9: View towards the hazy Reuss valley of canton Uri. The mountain in the foreground is probalby Niderbauen-Chulm and behind is Mount Oberbauenstock. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=38 mm; f/10.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:07:05
Fig. 10: Flying by Mount Niderbauen-Chulm. Behind it in the mist is the Reuss valley of canton Uri with the capital village/city Altdorf and village Schattdorf. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/10.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:07:14
Fig. 11: The mouth of the river Reuss in Lake Uri. The bright spot in the middle is a reflection of the Sun on ice crytals in the air. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=31 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:09:18
Fig. 12: People wearing aluminum foil hats may say that these are carmouflaged UFO's, but in reality those are lenticular clouds above a mountain summit. These clouds are formed by wet air pushed across a mountain so that they cool and water condenses. On the other side the air warms up again and the water drops evaporate again. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/500 s; f=40 mm; f/14.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:13:58
Fig. 13: Not UFO's but lenticular clouds above another layer of clouds. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=40 mm; f/13.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:15:25
Fig. 14: The waxing half moon is visible above the lenticular clouds. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=70 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:16:00
Fig. 15: Aerial view of the Swiss Alps mountain ridges. The clouds are casting magic plays of light and shadow. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=28 mm; f/14.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:17:18
Fig. 16: Aerial sight of Swiss Alps in deep snow with a few small clouds, somewhere between Gotthard massif and Engadin. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/13.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:18:54
Fig. 17: Light and shadows in the Swiss Alps, created by the low winter sun. Towards the flatlands the cloud cover is getting thicker, because in the land of the two ibexes Gian and Giachen the sun is always shining. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=50 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:21:32
Fig. 18: It's reat to fly over the Swiss Alps with a small airplane, very close to the mountains. Unfortunately there are some reflexes again on the cabin window. An airplane without windows would be best for taking pictures, but it also would be very cold, windy and noisy. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=28 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:22:44
Fig. 19: The small green reservoir Lake Zervfreila above the village Vals. It's not frozen, because it's probably a pump reservoir and the water is heated up when filling the reservoir. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=70 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:22:57
Fig. 20: Grison mountains somewhere between Vals and Samedan, enclosed by a thin layer of clouds. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=28 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:26:39
Fig. 21: Ridges of snowy Grison mountains in light and shadow, somewhere between Vals and Samedan. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=50 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:29:19
Fig. 22: Tricks of light and shadow on the snowy mountains of the Swiss Alps. Much more interesting to photograph than boring blue sky. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=70 mm; f/11.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:31:28
Fig. 23: Flight across upper Engadin with the villages Celerina (foreground) and Samedan with airport runway. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=40 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 12:34:45
Fig. 24: Our passionate pilot. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=62 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 14:31:32
Fig. 25: The village Celeraina in upper Engadin. The winter sun is reflecting in the water of the river Inn. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 14:59:34
Fig. 26: Plays of light and shadows through holes in the cloud cover on the snow covered slopes of Grison mountains. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/350 s; f=70 mm; f/10.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:02:39
Fig. 27: That is most likely the ropeway intermediate station Corviglia in the skiing area above St. Moritz. The low winter sun is casting long shadows on the snow covered slopes. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:04:48
Fig. 28: Lifts in the skiing area above St. Moritz. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=40 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:05:19
Fig. 29: The shadow of the airplane on a layer of clouds. The colorful glory around the shadow is cased by the diffraction of light in small water drops, similar to a rainbow. I've enhanced saturation and contrast a bit to make te colours more distinct. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=52 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:10:59
Fig. 30: A loose layer of clouds is covering the snowy mountains and creating patterns of light and shadows. The valley on the lower left corner is the Julia valley, also called Surses. The river Julia (rom. Gelgia) flows from Julier pass through Lake Marmorera. The small village at the bottom is called Rona, behind that lies Tinizong. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=28 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:12:38
Fig. 31: The shadow of the airplane on a layer of clouds. The colorful glory around the shadow is cased by the diffraction of light in small water drops, similar to a rainbow. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=28 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:14:38
Fig. 32: A thin gap in the clouds reveals a mountain ridge. These are probably Grap La Pala, Piz Scalottas and Piz Danis with the Lenzerheide right of it. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=52 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:16:43
Fig. 33: The snow covered mountains in the foreground must be from left to right: Furggabüel (2173m), Fulhorn (2528m) and Fulenberg (2575m). Behind those one can see the Rhein valley. Chur is hidden behind the mountains. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=48 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:19:16
Fig. 34: That's most likely the mountain chain with Grison Tödi, Piz Durschin (left) towards Piz d'Artgas (right). In front is the Frisal valley with the brook Flem above the village Brigels. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=28 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:26:28
Fig. 35: If I'm not mistaken, thats the Glarner Tödi as seen from the Grison side. It's summit is currently surrounded by clouds. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=28 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:27:25
Fig. 36: Yep, the famous Glarner Tödi seen from the Grison side from the Surselva valley. The summit is covered with clouds so it doesn't glow in the light of the setting evening sun. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:27:33
Fig. 37: And again Mount Tödi (on the right hand side). The clouds have been blown away a bit and the western slope is glowing in the light of the setting sun. Behind it in the twilight one can see the snow field of the glacier Hüfifirn. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:29:57
Fig. 38: Yet again Mount Tödi covered by snow and glowing in the light of the setting sun. Luckily there's Google Earth with 3D profile. That helps a lot identifying mountains even years after taking the picture. This is howTödi in the morning looks like from the other side from canton Glarus. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=28 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:30:10
Fig. 39: According to my Google Earth research this must be Mount Düssi (3256m). Pretty how it looks in the light of the evening sun. We flew from Surselva valley into the Urner valley. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/400 s; f=34 mm; f/10.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:31:28
Fig. 40: The summit of Mount rigi, queen of the mountains, is peeping out of the fog sea. All the way back on the horizon is the cloud factory, aka nuclear power plant Gösgen. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=70 mm; f/6.3; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:33:17
Fig. 41: That mountain is most likely Mount Great Windgällen. The Google Earth 3D rendering is not 100% accurate. Looks a little bitt different. But there's no other mountain summit around that matches more. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=56 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:34:18
Fig. 42: Also here not 100% sure. The snow field is most likely called Höchpfaffen and right of it Schächentaler Windgallen. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=28 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:36:00
Fig. 43: The two rocky mountain tops rising above the snow are called Rossstock (left) and Fulen (right). — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:36:34
Fig. 44: This prominent mountain chain is Chaiserstock, Chronenstock and Blüemberg. It looks pretty in the light of the setting sun. Behind the fog sea of the Swiss lowlands is visible. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=70 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:36:38
Fig. 45: Mount Rigi, queen of the mountains, is rising above the fog sea covering Lake Lucerne and whole Swiss lowland. In the background on the left hand side is the nuclear mushroom of Gösgen. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/125 s; f=70 mm; f/5.6; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:38:40
Fig. 46: Lake Lucerne with the village Brunnen. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=28 mm; f/6.3; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:39:33
Fig. 47: The two promient mountains in the center of the image are called Small Mythen (left) and Big Mythen (right). On their feet lies the capital of canton Schwyz, the small city Schwyz. The setting sun is shining low on the clouds of the fog sea. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/180 s; f=28 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:41:11
Fig. 48: This mountain glowing beautifully in the evening sun is Mount Mount Fronalpstock on the shore of Lake Uri. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=40 mm; f/6.3; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:41:24
Fig. 49: The setting sun is casting long shadows on the fog sea. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=28 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:41:46
Fig. 50: Here on the edge of the fog sea, it really looks like houses on a beach. With the low light the clouds of the fog sea look threedimensional. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/200 s; f=70 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:43:36
Fig. 51: This is one of Mount Rigi's summits, Rigi Scheidegg. The people living here must have a wonderful sight on the sunset. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/250 s; f=70 mm; f/8.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:44:13
Fig. 52: The summit of Mount Rigi, called Kulm. Here are the transmission tower, Hotel Rigi Kulm and cog railway in the light of the setting sun. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/320 s; f=28 mm; f/9.0; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:45:16
Fig. 53: And from the other side: The summit of Mount Rigi with the prominent transmission tower and the Hotel Rigi Kulm in the light of the setting sun with all the Swiss Alps in the background. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/160 s; f=28 mm; f/7.1; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:45:25
Fig. 54: And back below the cold, grey and wet fog sea covering Switzerlands lowland. It was a wonderful trip. — EXIF: Nikon D200; Δt=1/350 s; f=28 mm; f/2.8; ISO 200; 2009-01-04 15:54:51
