Antarctic rescue

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireSto...ick-us-40038380 How about this? Flying in darkness, the plane coming all the way from the Canadian Arctic- amazing!

One correction on this. The rescue plane came from Calgary Alberta, Canada. Calgary is far south of the Arctic and only a couple of hundred km from the USA border crossing into Montana.

This link has better details and some graphics that outine the flight route.

Ah, the legendary "Tin Otter" to the rescue! A genuine workhorse, and has been for decades. There really isn't another aircraft that can fill its shoes (or tires, or skis, or pontoons).

I really have to tip my hat to the professionalism and dedication of the crews. This is a moonshot in miniature, and the price of the tiniest miscalculation is well established.

Epic. Great shares, hikermor and Teslinhiker.

I thought they would us one of those huge USAF transports to punch thru and not a float plane I see on canoe trips!!

They have tried using Hercs before but as with the first mid-winter rescue flight in 1999, they weren't up to the cold weather conditions where the fuel can freeze up at -60*C. In these planes, I think the fuel is actually kept in the cabin and heated for the cold temps which is why they fly with minimal crews. I believe this is the 3rd or 4th time that this same company has provided these emergency flights. One crew crashed and perished on a previous expedition. The planes are extreme cold weather specialists and actually tend to over heat on the trip down to Antarctica.

I remember the 1999 trip to rescue the only doctor from the South Pole (breast cancer), the plane had to do multiple short hops from the northern arctic (CFS Alert 82d29'N 62d20'W) to the south pole. That trip took them almost 2 weeks and then they flew back to Alert when finished! Virtually Pole to Pole to Pole. The crew were awarded by the Canadian government for their role.

My sincere kudos to the pilots who made these journeys as flying at night with only a bit of moon light to navigate the rugged ice & mountainous terrain from Rothera to the pole (2400+ kms). They have 24 hour nights at this time of year. 2 planes made the journey to Rothera British Station (67d34'N 68d07'W) and one went to the pole with the other used as a backup.

And you couldn't ask for a better airplane to do it in, Otters are fantastic.

I came across a short follow-up piece. The crew is rather more modest than they need to be, given their achievements.

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/nati...8166/story.html

IMO, Otter's are one the best aircraft ever developed. There is a local company that has 2 twin's in their fleet along with 23 single Otter and about 10 DHC-2 Beaver airplanes.

I have only flown a couple of times in a twin but have flown many times in the single. No matter how many times though, it is still an experience that never gets old.

Pic of a single Otter that I took a few years back.

Besides the Canadian flight crew and aircraft, it turns out an Alaskan was also part of this mission. The gentleman has a rather unique resume. He is a Physicians Assistant, mountaineer, Denali climbing guide, who also has significant Antarctic experience.

Who do you call when you need to mount a daring rescue mission to Antarctica? This Alaskan