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The Royal New Zealand Air Force has completed a successful medical evacuation from Antarctica’s McMurdo Station.
The air force deployed a C-130J Hercules transport aircraft under No. 40 Squadron for the medical evacuation to Antarctica and round trip back to Christchurch late last month.
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Weather conditions for flying to the frozen continent were suitable for the flight to leave Christchurch just before 5am, landing about the time of the last sunrise of the season at midday. They left about 2pm in twilight after the final sunset, returning to New Zealand about 9pm.
Air Component Commander Air Commodore Andy Scott said even though the aircrew arrived during the last couple of daylight hours, any flight to the ice has its challenges.
“For the crew to be able to see the final sunrise and sunset before the winter darkness set in was a pretty special moment for them. And safely bringing home a person in need of medical help was extremely satisfying.”
Aircraft flying over the continent have to contend with extreme weather conditions, difficulty distinguishing between the ground and the horizon, and a lack of visual references.
Air Loadmaster Sergeant Emma Porritt said the mission began at 2am with pre-flight work and loading the medical supplies on board. Once they had landed on the ice, the team needed to “hot-refuel”, which involved refuelling the aircraft with the engines still running to keep the C-130J warm.
“It was about in -33˚C and in the extreme temperatures everything wants to freeze, lock up and seize. There are also a lot of considerations around fuelling the aircraft with flammable fuel and having the engines running.
“But loading the patient went smoothly and the medics made sure they were comfortable on a stretcher for the flight home.
“Normally we would go down when there are polar days, or polar nights in winter. It was cool to catch the shoulder season. There were lovely soft pink and orange hues to see.”
Detachment Commander Squadron Leader Adam Palmer said it was the second medical evacuation flight for the C-130J Hercules, following a successful winter one last August.
“The difference between this mission and the one we did in August was they were still able to fly in the light, so the timing was perfect considering the slim window at this time of the year.”
The next time Scott Base and McMurdo Station will see proper sunlight again is on 19 August.
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