00:00Hopping aboard an aircraft and jetting off to a new destination is exhilarating.
00:04On the plane, the anticipation of landing in a new place is exciting.
00:09That is, until a few hours pass, when travelers have eaten all their snacks, read all their magazines,
00:15and the person in front of them has reclined the seat onto their lap.
00:19The thrill of flying can wear off quickly.
00:21But what if there was a way to fly from one extraordinary location to the next in under two minute?
00:26The Orkney Islands, an archipelago on the north coast of Scotland, are known for their neolithic sights,
00:33abundant wildlife, and beautiful coastal scenery.
00:36Among these islands lies the site of the shortest commercial flight in the world.
00:40The journey between the Orkney Islands of Westray and Papa Westray takes an average of one and a half minutes.
00:47One of many short inter-island flights in Scotland, this unique trek offers gorgeous views as it quickly ascends,
00:54descends, and conveniently connects two beautiful places.
00:58The world's shortest commercial flight was first established in 1967 and has been operated by Logan Air ever since.
01:06It covers a distance of just 1.7 miles, which is shorter than the runways of most major airports
01:12and is more similar to a bus ride than an actual airplane flight.
01:16Passengers are flown in a Britain-Norman Islander, a small plane that requires only one pilot and has just eight
01:22seats.
01:23As you can imagine, there is no in-flight service available.
01:26The quick flight from Westray to Papa Westray is over before travelers know it, in just under two minutes to
01:33be exact.
01:33No tips for a long owl flight are needed here.
01:36Just as passengers start to appreciate the gorgeous views of the aquamarine waters below, it's time to land.
01:43No time for onboard entertainment, bathroom breaks, or drink cart service.
01:48Operated by Logan Air, the UK's largest regional airline, there are multiple weekly flights between Westray and Papa Westray
01:57and plenty of opportunities to embark on the world's shortest commercial flight.
02:01Logan Air Islander planes are quaint and have 10 seats, including one for the ever-important pilot.
02:07Advanced booking is advised, especially in the summer months when the flight is in high demand.
02:13The flight between Westray and Papa Westray has been criticized as unnecessarily bad for the environment
02:19because of the short distance it covers, but for the inhabitants of Westray 600 and Papa Westray 90,
02:26it is a vital link to other more populated islands.
02:29For Orkney Islands residents, the flights are subsidized by the Scottish Government,
02:34while tourists can expect to pay between £17 to £45.
02:38Despite the small populations of the two islands, the world's shortest flight can be quite busy during the summer months,
02:46as there are plenty of tourists willing to experience it for themselves.
02:50A couple of Orkney, connecting the individual islands via a convenient air link.
02:55It's used by teachers, doctors, policemen, and school pupils, helping them to go about their daily routines with ease and
03:02simplicity.
03:03Both Westray and Papa Westray offer ample opportunities for relaxation and adventure,
03:09abundant wildlife perfect for bird-watching, pristine beaches, and friendly locals.
03:15If possible, travelers should visit both.
03:17Known as the Queen of the Isles, Westray has a population of approximately 600 residents and is the second largest
03:24of the North Isles.
03:26The island has a hotel, eateries, a marina, a few shops, and two art galleries.
03:31It also boasts a 16th century castle, Northland Castle, and is the site of the Orkney Venus,
03:38a world-famous, 4-centimetre carved Neolithic figurine found during an archaeological dig in 2009.
03:46Papa Westray, known as Pape, is a small island at only 4 miles long and 1 mile wide.
03:52It's more remote than Westray, with a population of approximately 90 residents.
03:57Despite its size, Papa Westray offers many unique things to do.
04:01The most famous monument on the island is the Napa of Hauer.
04:04Dating back 6,000 years ago, the two stone houses are considered the earliest standing North West European dwellings.
04:12Additional impressive sights include an 8th century church called The Street,
04:16Boniface Kirk and the ancient remains of a medieval chapel at Street Treadwell's Lock.
04:22The pilot, who is just inches away from his passengers, reaches up and flicks the metallic toggle switches that fire
04:29up his engines.
04:30Two propellers, visible through the windows on either side, spin noisy facilities, if you need the toilet, the only option
04:37is to cross your legs.
04:39Except there's no room to cross your legs.
04:41And yet there's something very special about this flight that, if you didn't know it before, you'd realize about 2
04:48minutes into the journey.
04:49Because 2 minutes into the journey, it's very unlikely that the plane will still take 53 seconds.
04:55The journey, made 2 to 3 times daily, connects Westray, an island on the edge of Scotland's northerly Orkney archipelago,
05:03to the smaller, even more remote island of Papa Westray.
05:07Year-round, it's a lifeline for the 80 or so people who call the 4 square mile island home.
05:12In summer, it also brings tourists, mostly day-trippers, seeking to experience the plane ride and discover Papa Westray's numerous
05:21delights.
05:22The real start of the journey for visitors is at the airport that serves Kirkwall, the cheerful capital of Orkney
05:28on the archipelago's largest island, known as Mainland.
05:32From here, it's a quarter-hour flight to Westray before the final record-breaking hop.
05:36It's in Kirkwall they first climb into the boxy cabin of Logan as diminutive Britain Norman BN2 Islander.
05:44Aviation fans, especially those who manage to snag the first of the four rows of passenger seats, will appreciate being
05:51able to watch a pilot at work.
05:53But you don't get to choose where you sit.
05:55Allocation is based on evenly distributing weight around the airplane.
05:59Take-off, following a succinct over-the-silder safety briefing from the pilot, is a flurry of switches, dials, and
06:06radio squawks.
06:08Watching the spin of the analog altimeter and the tilt of the horizon on the attitude indicator are almost as
06:13exciting as the view out of the window.
06:16The window view wins though.
06:17It's early August, so a summer green patchwork of Orkney farmland alternates with green-blue Atlantic waters as we pass
06:25over the islands of Kaisei and Rousei.
06:28After just 15 minutes in the air, the plane lands at Westray Airport, a window swept outpost consisting of a
06:35small building, a gravel airstrip, and an asphalted taxiway.
06:39There's a brief pause to allow one passenger on for the final, short leg of the trip, and then we're
06:45away.
06:45This is the record-breaking portion of the journey, a flight that is less than the length of the runway
06:51at most major airports.
06:53No need for seat-back screens showing you the route map.
06:56You can look out of the window to see where you're going to land even before you take off.
07:01With the stopwatch running from the moment wheels are off the ground, it turns out to be a slow day
07:06for the world's shortest flight.
07:08Because of the wind direction, it clocks in at just shy of 2 minutes and 40 seconds.
07:13Landing is another flurry of excitement.
07:16We touched down on Papa Westray's main gravel runway.
07:19It has two others mown into grass and wildflowers, to allow for landings when the wind is blowing in the
07:25wrong direction, and the island springs to life around us.
07:29There's a fire truck on standby manned by a pair of brothers who drop their nearby farm work for the
07:34duration of the airplane's visits.
07:36Once the plane has departed, the woman staff in the control tower dons a royal mail jacket and jumps into
07:42a van to deliver the post.
07:44As the plane's engines fade into the distance, the tiny airport falls silent.
07:49The only noise is the stiff sea breeze flapping through the orange windsock overlooking the field.
07:54From here, there's nothing much to see.
07:57The treeless island looks bleak and nearly deserted.
08:00There's nearly 7 hours to kill before the return flight, but plenty to fill it.
08:04Jonathan Ford, a resident for 26 years, runs the Papay Heritage Center and has turned out to meet the flight.
08:12I ask how the world's shortest flight shapes daily life on the island.
08:16I've been here so long I can't really remember it being a novelty, he says.
08:21But I'm aware that people do enjoy it.
08:23In summer, we'll sometimes see passengers coming in the morning and flying straight back to Westray on the return flight.
08:30Jonathan's first stop is a tiny croft house that for 300 years has withstood everything the Atlantic Ocean has thrown
08:37at it.
08:38While many people will come and go to island life, he says it's the slower pace of life that can
08:43make it a struggle.
08:45But despite this, Papawestray is an island that's rich in history.
08:49It is littered with ancient sites, some dating back 5,000 years.
08:53One of these is the Napa of Hawaw, a pair of ancient stone dwellings dating from 3,500 BCE that
09:00are thought to be the oldest preserved stone houses in northern Europe.
09:05The island is home to 80 people and hundreds of sheep, all living on a four-square-mile lump of
09:10grass-covered rock.
09:12In the summer months, its population swells by several dozen with the arrival of seasonal workers who help with the
09:18harvest.
09:19Among Papawestray's most recent residents are Marianne van der Kerchhoven and Jonas Huberacht, originally from Belgium.
09:26They moved here 11 years ago after falling in love with the place on a visit.
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