Record ambulance flight - More details - AVweb

Photo: Calgary Herald

Antarctic Rescue: Right Out There on the Edge

By Paul Bertorelli

Aviation news events covered at a distance—by us, or anyone else—don’t always convey, shall I say, a lucid reality. I’ve been following the Kenn Borek Aviation rescue mission to the Amundsen-Scott Station in the Antarctic a little more closely than I might otherwise because I’ve got a little Twin Otter time and I’m curious about how they’re pulling this off. The details are a real eye opener when you consider the conditions, the distances involved and the limitations of the airplanes. They’re making it sound like it’s all in a day’s work, but this is general aviation flying right out there near the edges of what’s possible with airplanes never intended to do what needs to be done here. Or at least do it over such great distances. Kenn Borek is widely experienced in Antarctic operations, typically fielding as many as 17 airplanes on the continent during the summer flying season. But it’s the dead of winter down there now, so their assets are working in the northern hemisphere. That required moving two Otters from Calgary to Punta Arenas, Chile, the traditional jumping off point toward the Antarctic Peninsula. That’s about 6300 miles or 45 hours as the Otter flies. That’s a lot flight time, but at least there’s fuel and places to land along the way. From there, it gets even more interesting. No matter how much tankage you stuff into it, the Otter doesn’t have the range to fly from Punta Arenas to Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole and return. (It’s at least 2100 miles, one way.) In fact, there’s no tankage combination that would make it work even one way while still leaving room for necessary equipment. So the Otters are stopping at a British research station halfway down the Antarctic Peninsula called Rothera. The station has fuel and rudimentary runway lighting, but no landing aids. During the summer, it's supplied by ship while the stations further inland are supplied by air, including Jet A for aircraft operations. From Rothera, it’s another 1300 nautical miles to the Amundsent-Scott station, according to the National Science Foundation, although the map I dug up suggests it’s closer to 1700 miles. Kenn Borek is declining any press interviews until the trip is completed, but it appears that they’re flying DH-6 300-series Otters with a useful load right around 5000 pounds and 375 gallons of standard fuel, plus wing tip tanks. That gives a range short of 1000 miles, so obviously, ferry tanks are a must. But even so, the Otter can’t carry enough fuel for a round trip so their alternate is their departure at Rothera and, according to NSF, they’ll use a point of no return for that. (I’m writing this on Tuesday evening and we’ve just learned that the Kenn Borek Otter landed at Amundsen-Scott and will remain there for several hours, at least.) A source who’s flown this remote region of the world in Otters told me that with ferry tanks installed, plus many pounds of survival and critical airplane equipment, such as engine blankets and heaters and maybe a start cart, there’s not much room for anything else in the cabin. So this will be no pleasure cruise for whomever is being evacuated. They're reportedly carrying two pilots, a medical technician and a fourth crew member. The second Otter, by the way, was brought along to provide SAR in the event the primary aircraft goes down enroute. It's the one-is-none, two-is-one theory of survivability. Even so, the prospect of that is bleak, given the lack of daylight, possible high winds and temperatures in the mid minus 70s F. This is not the stuff of a Bass Masters Cold Weather Survival Kit. If the lead Otter were to break at the South Pole, would you send the second to rescue the mission, completely unsupported in the event it has problems? That's how doable goes to desperate in a heartbeat. There’s really nothing between Rothera and the South Pole, with the exception of a summer-only station or two. Patriot Hills is one. It's unclear if it would be usable or even accessible during the winter, for there's no harsher or more remote region on the planet. A tip of the hat of the 40 hardy souls who are overwintering down there and to the gutsy pilots willing to fly one of them to urgent medical attention. P.M. Update: Late Wenesday afternoon, NSF reported that Borek Air had completed the return trip with two patients from Amundsen-Scott to Rothera. The two will be flown to Punta Arenas, Chile for further treatment. Well done, Kenn Borek. And a good word for the incomparable Twin Otter. Not many airplanes can operate in such harsh conditions with their mission profile stretched almost beyond recognition, but a DH6 can. Bravo!