TC South Pole Medevac Flight
Vol. 1, No. 7                                                                                              May, 2001
South Pole Medevac Flight
Kenn Borek Air Twin Otter crews participating in the South Pole medevac, from left to right: Kenn Borek Chief Pilot, Capt. Sean Loutitt, Capt. Matthew Gacek, Flight Engineer Norman Wong, Capt. Mark Cary, Flight Engineer Peter Brown, and First Officer Anthony Szekely.
Photo: Sean Loutitt/Ken Borek Air
The Twin Otter at the South Pole, 24 April, 2001. This was the first time a plane had landed at the South Pole in total darkness during the austral winter. Normally, flying is suspended in Antarctica at the end of February.
Photo: Chris Martin/National Science Foundation
DETAILS OF THE FLIGHT:
 
18 April, 2001  Two Twin Otters from Kenn Borek Air Ltd., based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile.
 
21 April  The two Twin Otters departed Punta Arenas at 6:45 am EDT (1045GMT) bound for BAS (British Antarctic Survey) Rothera Station on the Antarctic Peninsula They landed safely at Rothera the same day. In addition to the Kenn Borek crews, also onboard were Dr. Betty Carlisle, the replacement physician at the South Pole, and Nurse Betty Erickson.
 
24 April  One Twin Otter departed BAS Rothera at 10:34 am EDT (1434GMT) bound for the South Pole. Onboard were Captains Sean Loutitt and Mark Cary, Flight Engineer Norm Wong and Dr. Betty Carlisle. The other Twin Otter remained at Rothera as a backup.
 
The Twin Otter landed safely at Amundsen-Scott at 90ºS at 8:02 pm EDT (0002 GMT) in total darkness with -90.4ºF/-68ºC temperatures. The 1346-nautical mile (1,550 statute miles) flight took approximately 9½ hours.
 
25 April  The Twin Otter with Captains Loutitt and Cary, Flight Engineer Wong and Dr. Ron Shemenski onboard departed Amundsen-Scott at 12:47 pm EDT (1647GMT).
 
The Twin Otter arrived safely at Rothera at 8:52 pm EDT (0052GMT).
 
26 April  Both Twin Otters, with Nurse Erickson, and Dr. Shemenski departed Rothera at 11:10 am EDT (1510GMT) bound for Punta Arenas, Chile.
 
The two Twin Otters landed at Punta Arenas at 3:55 pm EDT (1955GMT) after 4¾ hour flights.
The red, white and black Twin Otter that made the record-setting South Pole flight departing BAS Rothera bound for Punta Arenas on 26 April.
Photo: British Antarctic Survey
Map: National Science Foundation
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