By:Ella Derbyshire (grannydoc) on October 29, 2009
Tags: 2009 , winter , antarctica , amundsen-scott , south , pole , station

Here is South Pole's first passenger plane of the summer 2009-10. It is a Basler, which is a converted DC-3. The vanguard of the summer crew arrived on this sturdy little aircraft, along with some small cargo and some most-welcome fresh fruit and eggs.

We actually saw two earlier planes which stopped by for fuel on their way across Antarctica from Rothera to McMurdo. The layover for the Basler on that day was a short one. The Twin Otter, which followed about an hour behind, lingered awhile for some engine repairs, and so we had some unexpected late-winter guests.

This Basler however, brings replacements for the winter crew, and so marks the end of our winter 2009 at the South Pole. It took off, as acheduled, after a very brief stay in the ground.

If you look at other panoramas of the South Pole runway from this landing at Destination Alpha, you will see how the winds have changed the landscape this winter. We certainly have much larger drifts of snow than I found when I arrived in October 2008. There are also a lot of sustrugi which give you a clue about the direction of the prevailing wind. Walking in the dark this winter was sometimes a problem, as the sustrugi seemed to grow and shift position overnight. They may look soft and fluffy, but they do not provide a soft landing in a fall.

The heavy equipment operators will be busy this summer, as they have the task of paring down these drifts and moving the snow to the End of the World. By the end of summer, the drifts should be gone and the landscape by the station should be smooth and flat once again.

Date Taken: October 29, 2009
Date Added: October 29, 2009
Bookmarked: 1 time
Total Views: 233 views
Gear: Nikon D80
Snapshots: 5
Size: 0.07 gigapixels
Field of View: 120.0 degrees wide, 0.0 degrees high

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