Purple lightning, psychedelic sunsets, glowing clouds and swirling Northern Lights -- when it comes to crazily beautiful natural phenomena, airplane pilots have a front row seat.


For the rest of us wanting a glimpse of what life is like in the cockpit 30,000 feet above the planet, there are the incredible photos taken by Dutch pilot Christiaan van Heijst.


Van Heijst has been documenting the scenes outside his cockpit window since becoming a pilot at the age of 20.  Take a look.