An Australian aviation crew has flown into total darkness and freezing cold to rescue an ill worker from Antarctica. The patient, a member of a US research team at McMurdo Station on Ross Island, was safely flown to New Zealand and is now recovering.
The daring emergency mission began after the US requested urgent medical help. Within 24 hours, the aviation company Skytraders transformed an Airbus A319 airliner into a specialized flying hospital. The plane, named Snowbird 1, waited in Hobart, Tasmania, for 12 hours until bad weather cleared before taking off.
Landing an airliner on an ice runway in complete darkness at -43°C (-45.4°F) is extremely difficult. Duncan Mackay, deputy chief executive of Skytraders, said the company had never flown so close to the winter solstice, which occurs in late June. Pilot Captain Al Wallach added that the freezing weather tested the limits of even specialized aircraft.
After landing safely, the crew transferred the patient onto the aircraft and flew to Christchurch, New Zealand. Medical staff are now caring for the worker, who is doing well.