Antarctica trip

[John Eacott]

I've been prevailed upon to post photos of the trip that I've just had to Antarctica, on the icebreaker L'Astrolabe supporting the French at Dumont D'Urville. Lots and lots of photos (it was my first trip ;) ), not all directly aviation related; but I hope they're interesting nonetheless. I know that many Rotorheads have done this sort of flying many times, and are far more knowledgeable about the area, so just enjoy the views as much as I did :ok:

I only took 900+ photos as the camera broke and would only take one photo, then it had to be turned off, then turned on, then take another shot. I missed a lot of good pics, but there are enough to keep the memories :)

The mess was tiny (like the rest of the ship) and if you didn't like meat and potatoes, you could have potatoes and meat. Nice guys, the Ukranians, but :rolleyes:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101810/DSCN5676/web.jpg

Once into the pack ice, it was time to find a decent size chunk of ice to park on:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101814/IMG_0416/web.jpg

So that we could juggle the helicopters out of "Le Garage"

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101814/DSCN5699/web.jpg

On the way through the ice, the penguins started appearing. They're on their way to the nesting grounds, and are so funny to watch:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101832/DSCN5772/web.jpg

Finally parked:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5776/web.jpg

And out come the helicopters: slowly!

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[John Eacott]

Once the blades were on, we were scheduled to start ferrying passengers to Dumont D'Urville. Which would have been fine, except that my fuel control cable froze, and in trying to free it, the starter switch assembly fractured in the cold :eek: We had a very capable engineer who managed to get the switch repaired, so we only lost an hour or two :(

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5793/web.jpg

Then the first flights over the coast and the ice. Stunning, it's just so vast that distances are difficult to judge; each of these icebergs is over 250 metres long

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5795/web.jpg

My first Antarctica landing, at Cap Prudhomme

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5800/web.jpg

The coastline in the background: the blues on the iceberg were just stunning

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5812/web.jpg

Many of the bergs in the ice had seal colonies around them, especially if there was a break into the water for them to get through

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5814/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5817/web.jpg

The horizon is well over 100km away in this: it's hard to take in at first!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5823/web.jpg

Next to DDU is a glacier, this is over the head of the glacier looking to the north, and the bergs that have calved from it

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5827/web.jpg

and over the glacier, looking inland

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5838/web.jpg

More bergs stuck in the ice

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5841/web.jpg

With 165 degrees of magnetic variation, and so close to the magnetic South Pole, the compass just kept spinning most of the time. I was heading east when I took this :eek:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5854/web.jpg

[CGWRA]

Great shots! I love these kinds of threads thanks for sharing with us.

[John Eacott]

We had a bit of fun trying to keep the internal loads within reason, but we were stuck in the ice 60nm from DDU (Dumont D'Urville) and the turn round times were far more than expected so we had a lot to move over long distances.

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-10-29-20-20434/web.jpg

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http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-07-20-20010/web.jpg

Plenty of sling loads, the LTS101 powered B2 manages the loads with ease (and a load cell!), but 60nm at 40 - 60kias can be a PITA :( The prevailing wind was in our favour outbound, and we generally had a headwind only when returning empty

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-07-20-20016/web.jpg

[CGWRA]

Why the basket instead of a cargo net? you could fly back with the line and net inside for the return trip without that basket. Unless it folds up?

[John Eacott]

That was a load of gear for geologists: they needed the basket to bring samples back. It obviously wasn't the right photo to post, how about this one instead ;)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/DSCN5913/web.jpg

[chcoffshore]

Great photo's thanks:ok:

[John Eacott]

We were tasked for plenty of underslung cargo work: the mirror will be a familiar sight to many ;)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5860/web.jpg

We were the first visitors to DDU (Dumont D'Urville) for 10 months. As well as all turning out to unload the cargo we brought, they raised the flags for us, too!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5861/web.jpg

The most intense colours were deep inside the icebergs

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5866/web.jpg

This is DDU, with the runway and hangar in the foreground. CASA 212's run into the strip from next month

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5869/web.jpg

More of the glacier next to DDU

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5872/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5873/web.jpg

Because of forecast strong winds, we took the blades off and craned one machine into shelter on the cargo hatch

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5879/web.jpg

What a first day of Antarctic flying!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101843/DSCN5884/web.jpg

[John Eacott]

On an average year, L'Astrolabe gets closer than 20nm to DDU in the November cruise. Often they can get almost alongside the DDU runway, but as with all averages, there are years like this where the ice was too thick to get closer than 50nm. We had a round trip (with loading/unloading) took about 1 hour 20 minutes, so we then ran into flight and duty times limits, but the magic of SatPhones got us an exemption from CASA to meet the demands of extra flying.

L'Astrolabe is a fairly small icebreaker, and having got where she did the ice then closed around us for a long time. Enough to get a bit worried about getting home on schedule, and lots of hot water piped over the side to free us up from the ice.

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/DSCN5896/web.jpg

Lots of freight and goods were flown into Cap Prudhomme, the satellite base from DDU: and yes, that is their own ski slope up the hill :)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/DSCN5904/web.jpg

The major factor in breaking up the ice is bad weather, followed by tidal effects. As the tide 'comes in' the ice breaks up a bit, then as the tide goes down, the sections of ice collide and often ride over each other. Well shown in this aerial:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/DSCN5905/web.jpg

As my hook played up initially the other pilot got to do lots of sling loads, mostly at 40 - 60 knots. I was quite happy to cruise past with internal loads at 120 knots instead :)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/DSCN5913/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/DSCN5915/web.jpg

DDU is in the middle of a nesting area. Lots of penguins, and associated smells :(

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/IMG_0427/web.jpg

Whilst Cap Prudhomme has the neatest quad bike :D (iPhone photo, not the best)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101866/IMG_0432/web.jpg

[eivissa]

Thanks for sharing these stunning pictures with us. It must have been a great trip. :ok:

[John Eacott]

Having "settled in" to the routine flying, I got into taking a few more iceberg shots: here's a small selection of "views from the cockpit"

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5918/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5920/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5924/web.jpg

This berg shows the mud and debris from the ocean floor, before it turned over

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5926/web.jpg

More of the glacier break-up

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5935/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5939/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5940/web.jpg

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http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5955/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5956/web.jpg

[jockspice]

Fantastic! Great flying and breathtaking scenery - what more could anyone ask for? Thanks for sharing. :ok::ok::ok:

[VeeAny]

John

Like others have said, thank for sharing.

Those pictures are stunning.

Gary

[heliski22]

Many thanks, John!

For those of us who have never had and most likely will never have the experience, this is truly spectaular stuff!

Well done!

[John Eacott]

Lots of seal pups were there: this one (& Mum) had the inevitable gaggle of Adelies nosing around to the right of the photo

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5962/web.jpg

I managed lunch at DDU, and a quick nose around to see the rapidly increasing penguin population. Only a week earlier the total number of penguins was zero!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5964/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5966/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5967/web.jpg

The choice of a good looking pebble to offer your loved one is imperative: their whole world seems to revolve around the pebble 'nest', and raiding another male's offering is grounds for a serious fight :eek:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101880/DSCN5971/web.jpg

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[Pandalet]

Yup, that's what makes me want to be a helicopter pilot. Thanks for sharing!

[John Eacott]

The ice doesn't always look very thick, but the amount below the surface is always significantly more than on the surface

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101891/DSCN5984/web.jpg

More bergs: you may be able to make out the annual snowfall layers in some shots

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101891/DSCN5985/web.jpg

This was my "landmark" berg that I could see from 50 nm away, to get back to the ship

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101891/DSCN5990/web.jpg

Some ice creep off the continent next to Cap Prudhomme

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101891/DSCN5992/web.jpg

and a bit of a cornice

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101891/DSCN5995/web.jpg

There are times when the lack of flight instruments isn't a Good Thing :(

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101903/DSCN6001/web.jpg

We went to Pt Martin to drop some geologists, rock hoppers in the ice! The French built a base there back around 1950, and only 2 years later it burnt down at the beginning of winter. The Expeditioners had to survive the winter in one remaining survival hut, with what little they salvaged to eat. The wreckage is till there, no attempt seems to have been made to clean it up.

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101903/DSCN6005/web.jpg

Some of the nearby coastline

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101903/DSCN6008/web.jpg

Back at DDU, they must be Top Gear fans: one indestructible HiLux :)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101903/DSCN6010/web.jpg

DDU bar and grill. 10 winter months must go very slowly....

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101903/DSCN6016/web.jpg

The DDU walkways take a bit of clearing, too

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101903/DSCN6018/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/helico-icecliff-sm/web.jpg

[John Eacott]

As we became more of a feature, stuck in the ice, we attracted more wandering penguins as they came for a look

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101906/DSCN6024/web.jpg

Maybe the hot water being pumped around the ship to try to break out was unusual?

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101906/DSCN6055/web.jpg

But the opportunity to get onto the ice and see the penguins was something else!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101906/IMG_0748/web.jpg

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The ship's fuel was shifted to list her to try to break off the ice

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101906/DSCN6057/web.jpg

and for a short time we thought we were free of the ice

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101906/DSCN6065/web.jpg

While the penguins swam alongside us like a pod of dolphins

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/manchots-jump3-sm/web.jpg

Until a couple of hours to sunset, and time for more rest ;)

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[John Eacott]

Once we finished transferring pax and freight to DDU, the next task was geological and glacial research. We took a group of rock hoppers out to Correl, a rock outcrop near the Mertz Glacier which has been identified as having the same rock as South Australia. Finding somewhere to land was challenging, especially as the constant katabatic wind scours around the rock, with many gusts and eddies

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6083/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6079/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSC03904/web.jpg

View from the cockpit

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6078/web.jpg

While they were drilling for rocks, we nipped off to the Mertz Glacier to look for old GPS stations. They are tracked to map the position of the Mertz, which has a crack developing which will eventually allow 100 years of glacial growth to separate and float off into the ocean. A natural event, it has been monitored for 30 years by the French, and could completely break within years.

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6087/web.jpg

The crack is growing from both sides of the glacier, plus offshoots in the bulk of the glacier

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6095/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6098/web.jpg

While we refuelled, one of the French glaciologists wanted a photo with the penguins and glacier in the background. Who was I to say no? ;)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6104/web.jpg

When we got back to the ship it was slowly grinding to a halt in the ice, but before we shuddered to a stop we had a visit from three Orcas :eek:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101918/DSCN6108/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/orques-1-061109-sm/web.jpg

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http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/orques-7-061109-sm/web.jpg

[compressor stall]

Great shots John. Welcome to my world! One the ice is in your veins, you can't leave it. :ok:

I have had many trips sitting in the back of that ute with Patrice driving across the sea ice ... always an adrenaline rush :)

And a minor correction - the runway next to the base has never been used - a looong story:}. All fixed wing aircraft use a skiway about 5 kms from Cap Prud'Homme up on the plateau.

[spinwing]

Mmmmm .....

Well done John, glad you enjoyed your trip and are back home safely!

Your pics ... are great .... you have stirred my memories ... I'll have to break out all my slides from my trips back in '77 & '78 and get them digitised I've almost forgotten how truly "AWSOME" the place is ....

Methinks you may have contracted the "bug" .... have they booked you for another voyage (or for next year?) ....

Cheers from the 'Sandpit' :}

[captchopper]

these are some of the nicest pics i have ever seen... thanks for sharing John.
:ok:

[Phil77]

Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing... I love threads like this too!

Phil
:D

[iainms]

Great pics John, and all back safe.
If you want a hand next year then give me a shout:ok:

[helicopterdave]

And great to read all about your trip !!!

Just like to add my huge thanks for sharing the photos and the descriptions too.

What a cracking life experience in the lifebank !

Well done, welcome home and thanks again !

dp

:ok:

[IntheTin]

First class. Thank you John :D

[perfrej]

Thank you!

I'm off to Antarctica Jan 29th via Christchurch and on to McMurdo. No helicopters on this trip though. We always have helicopters in the Arctic, but shipping them down south is not an option these days.

Looking forwards to the hueys at McMurdo and the photo oportunities. Having a lot of experience in the high Arctic, this will be a nice complement.

Sending you all this wonderful - and respected - friend from Sep 15th (81N 0W).

http://download.frejvall.se/B1.jpg

[airwave45]

Fantastic pictures, thanks for taking the time to post them up.
Really brightened a dull day offshore from the sandpit.

[John Eacott]

As with flying to DDU, the distance to the glacier was a problem as we needed to first sling some drums of fuel to use during the day, plus a long trip to the Mertz before we started 'work'. This was a small berg we passed along the way

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6114/web.jpg

and the western (ocean) end of the crack

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6116/web.jpg

The GPS stations from 2 years ago were all buried, we only found one out of six: it was originally 2.3 metres above the surface

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6117/web.jpg

Then the glaciologists got to work on the new units. They were working in -20C, with a wind chill down around -35C, so I was (relatively) happy to be sitting inside the helicopter, which I couldn't shut down because of the frozen Fuel Control cable

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6120/web.jpg

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http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6123/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6133/web.jpg

and the important scientific research: Tim Tams on glacial snow are definitely better than Mint Slices :D

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6134/web.jpg

[John Eacott]

As the Mertz mission needed maximum flying time, the ship tried to move closer when it broke out of the ice: with nearly catastrophic results :eek: We weren't advised, and the first we knew was when I wandered onto the flight deck before breakfast to find the rotor blades trying to leave the aircraft, despite the blade restraints that we had fitted :( I was too busy to take pics, but getting frozen salt spray all over you while hanging onto rotor blades in wind chill of -50C is not character building. It's a PITA!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6138/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6139/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/high-wind-1/web.jpg

The stuff on the left of this pic is the ice pack, which has been transformed into a giant Slurpee by the winds

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6140/web.jpg

(salt) icing, anyone?

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/helico-iced/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6156/web.jpg

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http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6160/web.jpg

So, back into the ice pack and out of the weather induced by the katabatic wind off the Mertz. A few hours of de-icing with fresh water (which re-froze, but at least it was fresh!) and a ground run to check the blades were in balance, and then a few late evening flights to get back on schedule. Removing the salt ice from the tail rotor elastomerics and the main rotor swash plate area was very tedious, but essential

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6163/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6177/web.jpg

The seismic station was to be set up on rocks occupied by a few thousand Adelies: they really found the mating season far more important than us, especially after climbing that high!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101929/DSCN6180/web.jpg

[finalchecksplease]

Hi John,

Where does one sign up for a job like this?

Thanks for taking the time posting these fantastic pictures & comments, much appreciated :ok:

Greetings,

Finalchecksplease

[Brilliant Stuff]

John thank you very much posting so much in depth info on your trip . Loved it.
May I ask a couple of stupid questions?

I assume the reason to have two helicopters is for safety?

Did the ship make it's own fresh water?

Did you have to worry about running out of JetA1 at any point, I mean did the ship have enough for the trip?

[Heli-Ice]

Great pictures John! Thank you for showing us this amazing world down there.

I recommend the shot over the B2's tail in the sun for one of this winters calendars.

[SimonBl]

John, these are some of the best pics I have seen on PPRuNe in my many years of lurking around. Well done and good to hear that you're back safe. Thanks very much for the great photos and the accompanying story, well done.

[John Eacott]

What was scheduled to be our last day on the Mertz, we started by taking the rock hoppers up to Point Pigeon, to construct their seismic station, then picked them up afterwards. Again, nothing in the way of a decent landing spot, and the one that I found was changed to one with a significant slope down to a sheer drop over the cliff :eek:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6183/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6185/web.jpg

Then we took the geologists across the Mertz to Penguin Point, where we discovered an abandoned camp, which appears to be recently uncovered after maybe 50 years of being buried. AAD are quite interested, the photos show quite a few artefacts which are unlikely to be around once the winds and weather get their way.

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6196/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/IMG_2098/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/IMG_2100/web.jpg

Back at L'Astrolabe, waiting for a clear deck:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6199/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6204/web.jpg

Near the Mertz, this fall from the edge of the ice has sent shock waves out over the pack ice: and shows how high the cliff face really is

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6205/web.jpg

The Mertz crack: due to let go 100 years of ice sometime soon....

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6208/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/DSCN6211/web.jpg

[John Eacott]

Well, the last day's flying was fine for me, but the other pilot wished that he'd stayed on board. There was one French geologist to be taken back to Dumont D'Urville at the end of the day, plus our engineer and '4th hand' went along for the ride and a last meal ashore. As I broke the fuel control on the first day, so did they break their fuel control when they came to leave; only far more seriously than mine, and the engineer left his toolbox on board. I only had to spend the night worrying about the ramifications of how to sort out getting my helicopter and all the gear stowed for the return trip, they had to spend the night outside in < -30C repairing the machine or stay another month until they could be flown out by fixed wing.

They did a sterling job and got back on board at 7am, having checked out Mawson's Hut on the way. It's still covered to the roof with snow and ice, so there's a lot to clear

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101942/P1010587/web.jpg

We then started for home, and searching for icebergs and weather! We needed a bit of shelter from the wind, so that we could remove the rotor blades, eventually 'parking' in the lee of a medium sized 'berg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20015/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101945/DSCN6217/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101945/DSCN6218/web.jpg

The helicopters were kept on deck through the pack ice in case a recce flight was needed, but the pack ice was thinning rapidly. The main attraction became a huge iceberg from the Ross Shelf, some 15km x 13km in size

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/iceberg-101109-PM-2-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/iceberg-101109-PM-3-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/iceberg-101109-PM-6-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102020/DSCN6234/web.jpg

We then had to find a chunk of ice big enough to park into, in order to go through the process of putting the helicopters back into "Le Garage"; a difficult enough process alongside in harbour, but we managed


http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20030/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20041/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20053/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20064/web.jpg

and then off around a Force 10, to Hobart :D

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102035/DSCN6239/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102035/DSCN6240/web.jpg

[JTG]

Thanks so much for posting all of these pictures. Great stuff.

[John Eacott]

I've only just noticed this photo: I wondered why I was struggling on the other side of the machine, with two of us pushing against 4 heavies on the near side :eek:

:p

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20041/web.jpg

[Helinut]

Fabulous John.

Thanks

[gazelleboy]

WOW...i really enjoyed the piccies..thank you for sharing them.

[Allan Wood]

Very nice pics indeed! Thanks a lot for sharing!:-)

[Red Ant]

Hi John,
Do you mind if I post some of my "antarctic experience" here as well?
We did it in the Kamov KA32 ( South African Antarctic voyage 2007/2008)

Anton

[John Eacott]

As the 'new boy', the operation was made all the better for me by the guys who helped me along :ok:

Marty Hanna is a pilot's pilot: fixed wing night ag ops, tuna boat ops, bushfire fighting and EMS are all part of his background, plus his wife is a CPL : massive amount of help throughout the trip, thanks Marty

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/marty/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/marty-lydie/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20067/web.jpg

or his more usual pose ;)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/marty2/web.jpg


The engineer was a stalwart: the 'old school', he just kept on going like the Energiser bunny, and had a fix for the worst that happened. Peter Hearn spent all night in -30C fixing the broken Fuel Control on one AS350, outside at Dumont D'Urville. Mind you, the option was spending a month in a freezer suit, waiting for the first fixed wing flight home.

and he really misses his red beanie :{

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/peter2/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20042/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-11-20-20026/web.jpg

Previous years, Peter was flat out on the flight deck all trip, but his workload was eased a bit by Brett Rankin coming along for the trip. Brett was knackered at the end of it, so I can only try to imagine how Peter managed on his own :eek:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-10-29-20-20443/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-07-20-20451/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101922/DSCN6128/web.jpg

[John Eacott]

As there are probably others as well as compressor stall who know Patrice (who has been going to DDU for 30 years!)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/patrice-jmich/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/patrice1/web.jpg

and a snap of the French skipper & crew

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/Stan-Benoit-Franck-Arnaud/web.jpg

Ukranians rule on L'Astrolabe, however. The Bosun

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/sacha3/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/sacha4/web.jpg

and some of the French expeditioners: Serge, who took the photos in this post

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/sunset-091109/web.jpg

Lydie was always the centre of attention!

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/nathalie_lydie-brett/web.jpg

and Benoit, our esteemed glaciologist (with lots of letters after his name!)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102076/benoit1/web.jpg


http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102068/2009-11-07-20-20490/web.jpg

Lots more photos, mostly icebergs and penguins, to follow.

[Big Beres]

Great Pics

Did the Kiwi in the colorful shirt in the first pic drink the boat dry .... lol :ok:

[Basil]

Amazing pics.
Are you a photographer who flies helicopters or a helicopter pilot who takes photographs? :)

[tony 1969]

Great pictures thank you for sharing
:ok:

[Sikorsky]

Nice pics, it could have been Greenland except from the pinguins :ok:

[Flying Lawyer]

it could have been Greenland except from the pinguins

It could have been South Africa except for the sun and sand. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Rotorheads/Boulders/P1000219ps1024.jpg


Fabulous photos John. :ok:
Thanks for sharing them.

What a wonderful experience.

FL

[CYHeli]

Magnifique (??)! Thanks John. :D
One of my dream locations to fly.
There might still be time, eh?

[AviatorAtHeart]

John,

Many thanks for posting your awesome pictures. It is super kind of you to share your experiences with the rest of us. Thanks! :ok::ok::ok:

[birrddog]

FL, if that photo was taken where I think it was, there may have been sun and sand, but the water probably as cold ;)

[Capt Hollywood]

Awesome collection of pics John. How long were you away for?

[nrh]

I've been spellbound by your pics John - many thanks for posting.

I think you saw as much in 3 weeks as I did with the Russians back in 2001 in 2 months!, particulary wildlife. It brought it all back to life for me.

I'd very much like to see Red Ant's Kamov pics and could contribute some of my own if you don't mind turning this into a general Antarctica thread?

Once again, many thanks,

nrh

[John Eacott]

nrh & Red Ant, I'm sure that we would all like to see your photos :ok:

Mine were very average compared to those taken during the year by the French Expeditioners: they made some of their best efforts available to us, here are a selection:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101988/IMG_24159M/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101988/IMG_24165M/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102009/P1050730/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102009/P1050749/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102009/P1050257/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102009/IMG_9238M/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101971/Challenger/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101971/Kassboer/web.jpg

More to come........ :ok:

[John Eacott]

Sharing some random stuff, how about some more Emperors:

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/18jull09-be-CC-81be-CC-81manchot2/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/18jull09-be-CC-81be-CC-81manchot4/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/Dscf5568/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/Dscf5586/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/IMGP0062-20-5B1600x1200-5D/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/IMGP0082-20-5B1600x1200-5D/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/IMG_1189M/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/IMG_1436M/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102002/img_7940/web.jpg

[John Eacott]

A few more photos from others on the trip: these were taken by Serge, who seemed to have nothing else to do except wander around with his camera, then fiddle with PhotoShop (but I did fly him for the aerial photos....) ;)

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/grand-albatros1/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/adelie-031109-4-diving-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/adelie-swin1-281009-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/adelie_7_271009-sortie-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/astrolabe-on-ice-2-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/bird-091109-2/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/bird8-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/empereur2_sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/ice271009-pm8-sm/web.jpg

http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/102043/sillage-081109AM-sm/web.jpg

[birrddog]

John, once again, great piccies.

I'm going to plagiarize this one though for a Caption competition some day:
http://gallery.me.com/johneacott/101971/Challenger/web.jpg
Man in cab: "And they said I could never sell ice to Eskimo's"
(Yes I know it's snow, and Antartica, etc.)

[Union Jack]

John Eacott - The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is hereby declared a very serious understatement - many congratulations on this wonderful record of your amazing experiences.:ok:

On a more prosaic note, the pictures of the helicopters being raised and struck down in their "hangar" brought back memories of the hangar, complete with integral lift rather than a crane, that we used in the RN's Tribal Class frigates!

Jack

[nrh]

A few years old now, but with John's permission here we go...

This is the Akademik Fedorov, an expedition icebreaker operated by the Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute in St Petersburg. Between jobs, the offer of this journey was hard to refuse. We left Cape Town in April, at the very end of the season, but more about that later...

Here Fedorov is "moored" to Antarctica - the first stop at Novolazarevskaya station.

http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A1.jpg


Resupply Russian style - no need to refrigerate the piggies of course. The two Mi-8's were operated by SPARC in St Petersburg, one being flown to the ship as it passed Sierra Leone, which explained the AK-47 roundel with a red line through it on the door...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A4.jpg


Still day with thin sea ice forming...



http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A2.jpg


Drilling ice cores for research...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A1a.jpg


Pancake ice - when the sea freezes with a swell, patches form and bump together causing the characteristic pie crust edges. Occasionally you could see penguins on them, but never when you had a camera :ugh:


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A1b.jpg


Warm welcome on board...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A3.jpg


Departing, the ship wedged in the ice at Progress station...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A5.jpg


Nightime navigation, paying attention to what might be lurking in the pool of light at the end of the searchlight beam...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A6.jpg


The reason the Russians resupply so late - dropping off tractors for the Vostok supply convoy on the newly formed sea ice. The cargo operation demands a certain thickness to support these T-34 tank derivatives, as it turned out it wasn't quite enough, so a gruelling operation was mounted to get the ship to an iceberg in the bay at Mirny station and leave them there. When the ice was thick enough to drive on they could be moved to the station. Sounds like a job Clarkson might like...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A7.jpg


What it's all about, a real privilege to be in Antarctica...


http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q47/nericha/A9.jpg


More words and pictures, with some from the north:

http://www.nericha.com/PDF/The%20Sea%20March-April%202009%20BREAKING%20ICE.pdf

Thanks for looking.

nrh

[foffer]

Such an amazing collection of photos! Sounds like an unforgettable experience!

[zoomcage]

Great photos John. Thanks for sharing them.:ok:

[Jonny109]

Truly inspiring! I've just finished all my training and if I get to do somethinh half as exciting it will all have been worthwhile.

[Jet_A_Knight]

Simply... fantastic.

Best time on 'prune for a longtime.

Safe journey!

[John Eacott]

Do you mind if I post some of my "antarctic experience" here as well?
We did it in the Kamov KA32 ( South African Antarctic voyage 2007/2008)


Red Ant,

I'm sure that we'd all like to see your photos, if you have time :ok:

[robin303]

Absolutely outstanding piece of photographic and narrative on your job and life Sir.
I’m sure we all felt we were there.
You would be great on National Geographic.
Thanks for this my friend.
:ok:

[toptobottom]

Hi John
Just back to a cold, windy, dark and very wet Blighty after a couple of weeks in the sun. These pictures brightened up my afternoon! Awesome images and professional quality - many thanks for sharing!
TTB

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1812200721.jpg
This is our fat lady tied to the back of the SA Agulhas.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071207_1307.jpg
On our way down to Antarctica with all the kit and caterpillars strapped to the deck of the ship.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071207_1329.jpg

The helideck and hangar from behind the KA-32.

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071207_1345.jpg
The third officer of the ship doing some starnav practice:ok:

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20080126_4368-Copy.jpg

All snug and warm in the front of the Kamov.

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/01012008A1-1.jpg

Hovering amid ships, during sling loading.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/01012008A3.jpg

Approach to fore deck, with the ice shelf in the background.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/0202200811.jpg
On approach to the ship with a 4.95 ton container.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/0202200812.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/0202200813.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/02022008a5.jpg

Myself

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/02022008a4.jpg
Rod

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/02022008a6.jpg
& Pete.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/030220083.jpg

Awesome sunset!

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/030220089.jpg

The British bassler doing a flyby. (Turbo Prop - Dakota)

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1212200732.jpg

Bouvet Island at its best.

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1212200739.jpg

We just dropped the passengers ( very brave Norwegian expedition) on Bouvet, and on approach for the helideck to do some slinging.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1212200743.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1212200745.jpg
If you look closer you'll see the Kamov with underslung load against the backdrop of Bouvet. 5500' Volcanic Island, and only about 10-15 miles diameter!

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1212200761.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/1212200764.jpg
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071212_1719.jpg

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071226_3015.jpg

The SA Agulhas parked against the iceshelf.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071226_3081.jpg

About to land on the helideck at SANAI IV, the South African Antarctic station about 150km inland from the ice shelf.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/170120084.jpg

Parked halfway between the station and the runway.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071226_3130.jpg

SANAI IV from above.


http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071226_3201.jpg

SA Agulhas from behind.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20071230_3324.jpg

Check out the effect of the downwash on the icy water!

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/20080126_4625.jpg

Helideck at SANAI from cockpit

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/250120081.jpg

KA-32 standing in front of the station during a snowstorm.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/260120081.jpg

A visit to the Norwegian station (Troll)

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/2601200817.jpg

A hilux in antarctica, who would have said!

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/2601200821.jpg

Half our team with the crown prince of Norway hanging silently in the background.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/2612200713.jpg

About to land on SA Agulhas helideck

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/271220073.jpg

On our arrival to Antarctica, we did a Bukta inspection. The ramp was last years ramp the guys had made.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/271220074.jpg

[Red Ant]

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/311220071.jpg

The fat lady covered with snow.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/DSC_0227.jpg

a rock sticking out from under the snow en-route from the SA Agulhas to SANAI IV.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/IMG_1382.jpg

The German ship (M/V Polarstern), came to pick up some pax we had brought through from Cape Town.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/IMG_2108.jpg

The transport ship the Germans had used to bring down all the construction equipment and supplies for their new station.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/IMG_2279.jpg

Bringing all the Norwegians stuff back from Bouvet en-route back from Antarctica to cape Town.

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/IMG_2280.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/IMG_2285.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/IMG_2287.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/P1010357-1.jpg

http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l12/antonshart/P1010493.jpg

That's all for now. I will have to look where the other foto's are.

[Brilliant Stuff]

Fantastic pictures again. Thank you.

May I ask what that ramp is for the Kamov was inspecting?

[neal99]

Hi John,

It takes a lot to for me to make a post, but your set of photographs has made me simply say thank you. Also at my age can I do it (60),well done.

Best Regards,

Terry Green.

[Capt.Gonzo]

@ all

GREAT PICS!!!!
Thank you for showing them to us :ok: :ok: :D

[Red Ant]

The ramp is a loading ramp that the ship parkes up against, and loads/unloads cargo using the large bow mounted crane. The ice shelf is too high to load using the crane with so they bulldoze a ramp into the shelf to make it accessible for the ships crane.

Cheers,
Anton

[infloweffect]

John, Nice Pics!! Brings back many memories. I managed 2 trips to DDU on the La'Astrolabe. We did lots of flying. On the way down on one occasion we were stuck solid for 3 days on sea ice. We did a few 100 nm runs to the base to drop the mail and fresh veg. One night I remember seeing the night crew starring at the ships radar. I asked him what he was looking at. I shouldn't have! As the ship was stuck solid but those fantastic ice burgs that look stationary were moving at about 2 knots by tidal shifts and wind effect. Some were several Klicks wide and over 1500 feet high out of the water. That's a huge mass moving randomly about with very unpredictable tracks. As we were struck it was all over for the ship if we got in the way. Crushed like an egg!!! the second mate explained. I didn't sleep so well after that.

[Thud_and_Blunder]

Fantastic thread. There are times when working for the lighthouse folk when I really wish we had the load-lifting capacity of a Helix (or, better yet, a Chinook)! That German Bo105 is a bit different from ours - can't see an ADELT or even a windscreen wiper, both of which I'd be keen to have in those conditions.

One thing I'd love to know - how do you get the tie-downs onto the tips of the Ka32's upper blades?

[spencer17]

Thanks for sharing John !!!

I'm so :mad: jealous you can't believe.

[Flying Lawyer]

Good article by John Eacott in the latest issue of Guild News, the journal of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (http://www.gapan.org). :ok:

And he makes the front cover! :cool:

Link here (https://www.gapan.org/ruth-documents/guild-news/GUILD%20NEWS%20APRIL2010.pdf)

(The article is on page 15.)