Antarctic Rescue

[Vagabond]

Just read an article on the Guardian website about a recent Antarctic rescue quoted here:

“The unwell Australian was at Davis research station in east Antarctica when the operation began.
By chance, a Chinese icebreaker was travelling to a nearby Chinese research station. Its helicopters were dispatched to transport a number of Australians from Davis to a site 40km inland to build a ski-way so a US aircraft could land.

In the meantime, a US ski-equipped Basler aircraft was being prepared.

It flew 2,200km from McMurdo research station to Australia’s Wilkins Aerodrome, near Casey station, to pick up an Australian doctor.
The plane then flew to the ski-way near Davis to pick up the patient and return to Wilkins Aerodrome. The journey between Wilkins and Davis was a 2,800km round trip.”

None other than a good old Basler converted DC-3 gets the job done!!!

Link to the Basler BT-67 page:

https://www.antarctica.gov.au/antarctic ... 7-aircraft

[sandiego89]

Great team effort down South.

C-47 (BT) still getting it done!

[JohnB]

I didn't read the Guardian piece, but if they didn't mention the bones of the rescue aircraft are at least 75 years old, they missed a big part of the story.

[PropsRule]

Perhaps one day, someone will write a book about all the aircraft that were designed with the intent to replace the DC-3/C-47. It would start, I suppose, with the DC-5.

I think it would be an awfully big book.

[JohnB]

As mentioned above by propsrule, the DC-3 has outlived most of the types intended to replace it.
But to be fair to those types...many of which were good airplanes...the sheer numbers of DC-3/C-47s and (relatively) low cost of airframe and parts made that inevitable.

Still, I don't think many Convairs or Fokker/Fairchilds, HS 748s and their ilk fly, and many of the types like Martin 202/404s, Vickers Vikings, HP Heralds, YS-11s are pretty much extinct as far as airworthy examples go.
And many of the proposed replacements, designed through the 1940-80s, never got off the drawing board or past prototypes. Remember the AH404?

[Cubs2jets]

Remember the AH404?

You mean 4 helicopter engines pulling a cracker box with wings? LOL !!

C2j

[JohnB]

Remember the AH404?

You mean 4 helicopter engines pulling a cracker box with wings? LOL !!

C2j

I'm relieved I'm not the only one to remember it!