Trip to dentist—from Antarctica

Press, 23 August 1984, Page 9

Trip to dentist —from Antarctica

A New Zealander and an American are making a brief visit to Christchurch this week from Antarctica to have urgent dental work done. The American, a serviceman from McMurdo Station, and the New Zealander, the dog handler of Scott Base, arrived in Christchurch last evening on one of the Winfly flights which are the first to land at McMurdo Station since February. Two flights by Cl3O Hercules were made from Christchurch to McMurdo Station and back yesterday, there will be two more

today, and two each tomorrow and Saturday. After the eight flights there will be no more flights to Antarctica until early October. The dental patients will receive treatment in Christchurch and return to Antarctica on one of the later Winfly flights to complete the season. The terminal operations officer of the United States Naval Support Force Antarctica, Major Clark Hall, said that this year’s Winfly was operating more in support of science than in previous years.

The Winfly flights will carry engineers who will work on the ice runway at McMurdo Station in preparation for the October landings, as well as caterers, mechanics, an Army construction team which will work at Scott Base. A lot of people and equipment for several American and one New Zealand science project will also be carried south during Winfly because of the early starting dates of these projects. The first six Winfly flights will carry 42 passengers and 1800 kg of cargo

each, while the last two flights will carry about 7700 kg each of cargo, and no passengers. The temperature at McMurdo Station yesterday was -15 deg. C. Visibility was about o.Bkm and the wind about 15 knots gusting to 25 knots. The Winfly flights leave Christchurch early in the morning so that they can land and unload during the 2% to three hours of daylight that reaches Antarctica at this time of the year. It is daylight at McMurdo Station between about 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. at present.