Flight following

South Pole welcomes first aircraft since February

The loneliness of the long-distance winter at South Pole Station is over. The first flights to the U.S. Antarctic Program's most remote station since mid-February arrived on Oct. 19. Basler and Twin Otter aircraft, operated by Kenn Borek Air in Canada, passed through the South Pole en route to McMurdo Station . It's a journey the support aircraft make every year, usually with a brief layover at South Pole Station to refuel and maybe drop off a few fresh vegetables and fruit for the 50 winter-over crewmembers, who rely on a small hydroponic greenhouse for freshies during the long, dark months. The first official relief flight by the New York Air National Guard's ski-equipped LC-130 is scheduled to land at the South Pole on Oct. 26.

Basler lands at Pole.	Fueling the Basler.	Watching the planes.
Fueling Twin Otter.	Twin Otter at fuel tank.	Close-up of Twin Otter.