Excerpt from Guardian report
Pilot in vain search for nearest petrol station in Antarctica
12 December 2003
An Australian pilot who flew his homemade plane over the South Pole at the weekend was stranded in Antarctica because America and New Zealand refused him permission to refuel.
Jon Johanson, whose plane was grounded at the McMurdo-Scott base, run by America and New Zealand, found that the research stations there had a policy of not selling fuel to adventurers.
The Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, who knows Mr Johanson personally, tried to get the rules waived, but the US and New Zealand refused. He said: "I'm not very optimistic about being able to persuade the New Zealanders and the Americans."
Johanson left Invercargill, on the southern tip of New Zealand, on Sunday and flew his RV-4 aircraft 3,680 miles in about 26 hours, to cross the pole. He said that he was forced to land at the base in Antarctica after high winds foiled his plans to fly on to Argentina.
Guardian Report
Extract from the Australian
Pilot 'attracts widespread support'
AN Australian pilot stranded in Antarctica has attracted widespread public support as he continues to resist US and New Zealand offers to fly him home, his partner Sue Ball said today.
Jon Johanson is stranded at the joint US-New Zealand McMurdo-Scott base after bad weather forced him to abort his solo flight over the continent.
He was attempting to be the first person to pass over the South Pole in a home-built, single-engined aircraft.
He now needs 400 litres of fuel to return to New Zealand.
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Phil Goff said he would not step in at this point to help an Australian pilot.
The Australian report
Not a helicopter story but, in light of recent discussions about adventurers ..........
For info: The 'home-built' is a modern factory kit plane built and tested to manufacturers' spec, not a home-design or the type of aircraft you see in pictures from the PFA rally.
The pilot has previously flown round the world and over the North Pole.