ONBOARD JURASSIC AIRLINES
​
Hello. I'm Richard Hartnell, creator of Onboard Jurassic Airlines.
For most of my career I've been working in interactive issue communication, devising campaigns, experiences and installations that have attracted attention to important issues internationally and won many awards.
​
In 2012, frustrated by government lack of action on climate change, I ventured into the world of art to produce the 'Onboard Experience' for the Jurassic Coast Earth Festival and 2012 Cultural Olympiad. The project was supported by The Arts Council and Heritage Lottery funds as well as a large number of smaller organisations. Entering via a pop-up airport, passengers were flown inside a Boeing 737 Cabin simulator I created to 'fly' along the Jurassic Coast UNESCO world heritage site and back in time to explore how the coast was formed and see how the past, present and future connect.
Using immersive multimedia, specially created props and a fantastic volunteer crew of 120 people drawn from the local community we 'flew'over ten thousand passengers from two pop-up coastal airports to warn of the single most important issue we all face: Climate Change - its impacts affecting everyone on the planet. You can see how I raised interest and read more about my climate story and future plans here or watch the short film below to view what I produced during the 2012 Olympics Windsurfing and Sailing events at Weymouth.
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
We are now planning a new show, Departures, beyond fossils, and planning to fly higher - to take our experience from city to city and as far reaching as we can. We'll be offering passengers an insightful fun-packed trip, showcasing potential solutions and inspiring action that will save us all from following in the footsteps of the dinosaurs.
Can you help?
Take off has begun
We are growing an international team of experts and community volunteers who will offer their diverse range of skills and experience to help realise our common mission: The avoidance of premature extinction.
​
It's all about time. That's why we believe the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site offers the perfect location from which to begin a journey of discovery that straddles the land, the oceans and the history of our planet. We want to fly passengers to this hub from all over the world
in preparation for their journey through time.
The Jurassic Coast is unique. In one 95 mile stretch of coastline comprised of sequential sedimentary rocks, scientists have observed how our planet evolved through past millennia and how it may change in the future. Rocks that span from the Triassic era in Devon to the Cretaceous era in Dorset reveal 185 million years of earth history in layers that can be read like the pages of a book.
Team members who live on the Jurassic Coast are only too aware of the damage that industrialisation and fossil fuels have wrought on the marine environment. From plastic waste in the oceans depositing on our beaches and toxification on land that seeps into our rivers, the list goes on and the aerial fallout reaches far beyond. This threatens our food chain, the health of everything on earth and our very existence. We believe It's high time to raise awareness of what our lifestyles are doing to ourselves and take action on an industrial scale. And that's why we need your support.
​
Jurassic Airlines will involve and engage communities, educational bodies and
industry towards positive action to mitigate climate change.
​