Well Renee Nicole Douceur was flown out from the research facility in the Antarctica to New Zealand..that was probably a long, uncertain experience for her. But, I find the typical ‘rescue’ (evacuation) itself more interesting. Just a few clips of an piece say it all…..
LC-130 Hercules
Antarctica is not only the coldest continent but the driest, highest and windiest, according to the CIA World Factbook……
The continent is so cold that if plane engines are turned off during winter, the fuel can freeze into a jelly….
These are not your typical runways. The Pegasus White Ice Runway, for example, sits on a 110-foot-thick (34 meters) glaciated shelf with several inches of snow on top…
During the winter, the continent is dark 24 hours a day. The runways do not have permanent lights because they are on ice. Landings and takeoffs can be dangerous even when the sun is shining on the runways; wind can kick up snow and block pilots’ vision…..
During a white-out landing, pilots must land in a part of the Antarctic sea ice runway that has been surveyed and known to be clear of any hazards. Essentially, the pilots land blind….
“You can have almost an instantaneous hurricane win… Seventy miles per hour (113 kph) is nothing. It can be up to 100 mph (160 kph), no problem.” MSNBC
