A US expeditioner in Antarctica was rescued last month in a daring mid-winter medical evacuation by an Australian aviation team in the middle of crippling temperatures and near pitch-black conditions.
Rescue Mission
The “extraordinary” mission kicked off on July 28, when the Australian Antarctic Division made an “urgent request for assistance” for a medical evacuation from the US McMurdo Antarctic research station, according to Skytraders, the Australian airline specializing in flights to the vast, frozen continent.
After an initial attempt on July 29 was delayed by severe weather, Skytraders’ Airbus A319 — named Snowbird 1 — departed Australia on July 31 at 2:44 am local time, and reached McMurdo station more than five hours later, the airline said, landing in “extremely challenging conditions” including complete darkness and temperatures dipping to –45.5 F (-43 C).
After safely transferring the American patient onto the plane, the mission departed Antarctica “ahead of deteriorating conditions,” Skytraders said, and then flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, where the patient was treated.
No details about the patient have been provided, and Health New Zealand would not disclose information without family approval. Skytraders declined to comment on the patient, saying only that they are now “recovering well.”
Challenging Conditions
Louise Robertson, the co-pilot of the successful mission, told CNN that even during the summer months, missions to Antarctica are no easy feat.
“Most of the runways are just compacted snow, which means that there’s groomers that come out and prepare the runway to make sure it’s got enough friction for the aircraft to be able to stop, and then also that the surface is smooth and clear,” Robertson said.
During the flight, crews are in constant communication with meteorological teams across the globe to track unpredictable weather patterns.
That preparation only intensifies during rare and daring winter flights, and the pressure was compounded due to quick turnaround times required for the medical emergency, she added.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
