FLIGHT: NEW ZEALAND TO ANTARCTICA | 10.04.12

There is something very confirming about seeing your name associated with the United States Antarctic Program and the National Science Foundation. Witnessing the extensive grant application process, the required edits, the seemingly excessive waiting period before an initial response (let alone the actual award!) from this huge (national) organization, is somewhat spectacular in and of itself. But, then, after your intended team is declared, each member must endure the rigorous medical and dental tests, followups, consent forms, faxes, emails and forms upon forms upon forms! It's an intensive process that's been put in place with good reason - and it's just nice to finally get to the other side of it all! Receiving your gear - and especially Big Red (the jacked below) is when it finally feels like the season is actually starting. 
                                                              








Exhausted and waiting for my final
flight from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station, Antarctica around 5:30am.

Right: But SO happy to have my favorite number for my boarding pass...


Below:
The very serious looking official podium, where announcements just before the flight, are potentially made. 

This year we were so lucky to be able to take the Airbus instead of the C-17 military cargo jet. The Airbus is just like a normal, very comfortable plane for common commercial flights.  You can actually hear one another speaking without yelling (you don't have to wear earplugs), cozy seats are provided as well as tea and coffee from time to time - all unheard of on a C-17. I'm trying on my new explorer's hat...

Official New Zealand Departure. Goodbye, civilization!

Finally above the clouds.

Completely appropriately branded snacks...

A few hours in -first glance at Sea Ice:

Air info:

Drawing nearer...

We've covered quite the distance - you can see the plane at the bottom left of the screen:

We were invited into the cockpit of the plane - which I think is a very nice inclusive tradition that I'm glad to see is still happening. Our lovely pilots below:

CONTROLS!

Below:

Pilot seemingly teaching co-pilot about the coordinates.

Below:

Open ocean approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes from McMurdo Station!

Please view these beautiful ice features below. I know I've posted too many but it was so beautiful and these photos just cannot do justice! You should get some idea however, and remember that we are looking at floating frozen sea ice, making and breaking over an unfathomable volume of ocean. I like to always personally, keep in mind that everything you are able to visualize on a macro scale, you might also be able to visualize (nearly identically) on a micro scale, as to say, glaciers reflect ice crystals in both form and behavioral characteristics to a certain extent.

Vast blue sky kissing an endless white blanket

Right:

Tongues spilling onto a sub-layer - maybe not exactly an ice tongue like that from Mt. Erubus

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erebus_Ice_Tongue) 

but something similar.

Viewable ridges

Ice Mountains

Compression and Retraction of The Forces paint the ocean Surface

More Open Water as we draw nearer.

Gearing up for landing! Thermals are layered on with bibs on top! Muah! Season #2 is on!

Below

Ice forming in the window. I know it happens all over the world, but it just seems like a particularly lovely reminder at this moment.

Our plane is now landing on the sea ice. Just to be clear - this means that our plane is landing on a "runway"composed entirely of ice floating on top of the vast Ross Sea just off of Ross Island where McMurdo Station is preparing for our arrival. There was a distinct burning smell upon landing - I'm not sure what that was - but I'd like to think of it as the brakes doing an extra fabulous job of stopping us from skidding out of control, since again, we literally landed an airplane on sea ice... I guess it's not that impressive because people do it all the time - but it definitely still blows my mind. 

LANDED!