AAP
Australian pilot stranded in Antarctic
By Steve Larkin
December 10, 2003
AN Australian pilot is stranded in Antarctica after becoming the first person to fly a home-built, single-engine aircraft over the South Pole.
Pilot Jon Johanson had been refused fuel, which he needed to fly home, at a joint United States-New Zealand base in the Antarctic, his partner Sue Ball said today.
Mr Johanson yesterday completed his flight over the South Pole, which started at Invercargill on New Zealand's South Island on Sunday.
The Adelaide-based pilot had planned to continue on to Argentina but strong head winds meant his plane used more fuel than originally planned.
After realising that his fuel load was about an hour less than required to land in Argentina, Mr Johanson made a forced landing at the US-NZ McMurdo-Scott base in the Antarctic.
The base deters tourists, insisting any visitors are totally self-sufficient.
In line with that policy, officials at the base had refused Johanson the 400 litres of fuel he required to return to NZ, Ms Ball said.
"He is stuck there," Ms Ball said today.
Base officers had offered to put Mr Johanson on one of the regular commercial flights from the Antarctic and then ship his plane home when a suitable vessel became available – with the pilot picking up the costs.
But Ms Ball said that scenario was unsuitable when Ms Johanson could return if given 400 litres of fuel.
Ms Ball had asked the Federal Government to lobby the US and NZ officials to provide the required fuel.
Mr Johanson flew his RV-4 aircraft over the South Pole after travelling a total flight distance of 3345 nautical miles in 26-and-a-half hours.
The home-built plane was modified with a specialised engine and greater than normal fuel capacity.
Ms Ball said it was also believed Mr Johanson became the first person to fly a fixed-wing aircraft solo over the South Pole on a long distance flight.
Mr Johanson had previously flown the same plane around the world three times, including over the North Pole.
AAP
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