Quite the rescue story
From
CNN:
Rescue plane leaves Antarctica after picking up patient
A patient in need of medical care was en route Thursday from a research station in Antarctica to Christchurch, New Zealand.
The patient "may require immediate corrective surgery best delivered at a more capable facility than is available at McMurdo," the National Science Foundation, which manages the U.S. Antarctic Program, said in a statement.
"The facility at McMurdo is equivalent to an urgent-care center in the U.S., and is not equipped for the type of procedure being contemplated."
Being it's the middle of summer here in the North, it's the middle of winter down there:
They got a chilly reception: temperatures Thursday were -13 degrees Fahrenheit (-25 Celsius), according to the U.S. Antarctic Program.
The plane was airborne and en route with the patient back to Christchurch within about 75 minutes, said Debbie Wing, a spokeswoman for the U.S. National Science Foundation, which oversees the facility.
Temperatures like that, you do not shut the engines off -- the fuel will jell. Christchurch is 2,415 miles to the North so it is not a trivial trip. They had a lucky window in the weather and took it.
Posted by DaveH at August 9, 2012 4:03 PM