The next guest article by Walter, one of our biggest supporters:
Hello and welcome on board for the last leg of our round trip.
The hospitality of the Argentines has no limits. That is the reason, why it is almost nine o’clock in the evening and the sun is already sinking, as we can start to our return flight. Some clouds have gathered.
The Co-Pilot and I have decided no longer take stopovers on Matienzo and Esperanza, two other argentine Research Stations up here. Instead, we will fly a direct route to Rothera.
At nine o’clock Marambio-Tower and the Argentines, let us finally make our way home. So up we are and heading always to the deep standing sun.
The orange arrow is our new goal. I am promising here, that I will introduce the other two argentine Research Stations, Matienzo and Esperanza, on a further flight.
While we are cruising against the sun, on our left, through the clouds, appears the Larsen Ice Shelf Field C, one of the formerly four Larsen Ice-Shelf Fields on the east coast. In the 1990’s Larsen A, and in the beginning of the new millennium, Larsen B began melting and finally breaking away.
I think that I must not explain the reasons why. At the end of the last millennium, there had been all around the ice of Larsen B behind the airplane. Alone this Ice Shelf Field has had a dimension bigger than the state of Rhode Island. On this old map of the Antarctic, revised in 1985, the ice is still enclosed. In the left upper quarter you will find the Antarctic Peninsula.
The clouds disappear while we are overflying again the Avery Plateau from east to west…
…so behind, there already appear the summits of the Arrowsmith Peninsula.
That means we should descent because Rothera is no longer far. Down there it is already.
Curve to a Fly by
…in front of Rothera and its surroundings, dipped in a charming light by the midnight sun.
Turn in to Runway 18,…
…we are almost home.
Touch down at 10:50 pm on Runway 18, with – so I hope – a couple of passengers on board, who had a little bit of pleasure on our journey.
“Please, don’t forget your gloves and your woollies, it’s cold outside. Thank you for flying with me. I hope, you enjoyed the flight and I wish you a good night.”
See you on next flight.
Cheers, Walter
