Ice support crew hopes to leave this week-end

Press, 8 November 1986, Page 9

Ice support crew hopes to leave this week-end

The crew of an aircraft which will back up the 90 Degrees South Expedition to the South Pole hopes to fly from Invercargill to the Ice this weekend.

The crew of three of the de Havilland Twin Otter, however, cannot leave New Zealand until they hear from the expedition vessel Aurora that a suitable ice floe has been found. The aircraft needs a big, flat iceberg on which to land, according to the

chief pilot, Mr Sven-Olof Ahlqvist.

He said from Invercargill last evening that the 585-tonne vessel would continue to search for such an iceberg about 66deg. south today. Unfortunately, the vessel had reported striking bad weather, and so Mr Ahlqvist said that it was unlikely the flight would leave today. “We are getting impatient sitting here and would like to be on our way and working,” he

said. A helicopter on the Aurora will fly fuel for the aircraft on to an ice floe.

The Otter will help to set up supply depots on the Ice for the expedition, which is privately organised and led by a Norwegian glaciologist, Ms Monica Kristensen. It is on charter from Greenlandair Charter. The other crew are the co-pilot, Mr Jan Friden, and the engineer, Mr Allan Laugensen.