iscover
Qantas' successful Antarctic charters were operated by 747-300s. Each of the flights was meticulously planned, taking into account the peculiarities of flying over the frozen continent. (Keith Anderson)
Back to the Antarctic
0 comment
A Lead-in Fighter for the RAAF
Overflying ice flows that turn the dead blue sea into terrazzo, the arrival of QF2602 over the Antarctic is imminent. Suddenly the anticipation of the 343 passengers aboard 747-338 VH-EBV turns to sheer excitement as the rare opportunity to witness a spectacular landscape, hitherto seen only in the likes of National Geographic documentaries, lies only minutes away.
As the aircraft cruises above the world’s driest continent, the sounds of champagne corks popping and cameras furiously eating every possible image fill the cabin. The atmosphere belies the twelve months of intensive and thorough planning that has ensured an unforgettable yet totally safe experience.
The public’s faith in safe operations to the Antarctic from Australia and New Zealand floundered on November 28 1979 when Air New Zealand DC-10 ZK-NZP was lost on the icy slopes of steaming Mt Erebus. What had been great enthusiasm for Antarctic flights since their inception in 1977 quickly turned to despair. With the findings of a Royal Commission handed down in the months following the disaster, sorrow soon turned to anger as evidence of the mismanagement of flight TE901 came to the headlines. The full story of this flight will be presented in Macarthur Job’s second book in the series, Air Disaster volume 2, out this November.
This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members.
A monthly membership is only $5.99 or save with our annual plans.
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
- Unlimited access to all Australian Aviation digital content
- Access to the Australian Aviation app
- Australian Aviation quarterly print & digital magazines
- Access to In Focus reports every month on our website
- Access to our Behind the Lens photo galleries and other exclusive content
- Daily news updates via our email bulletin
Want to see more stories from trusted news sources?
Make Australian Aviation a preferred news source on Google.
Click here to add Australian Aviation as a preferred news source.
