In early December I took a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Antarctica with White Desert. Over the past couple of months I’ve been publishing the videos that came out of that trip on the Flightradar24 YouTube channel and social media.
You may have caught some or all of those videos but we thought we’d bring them all together here in one post, in case you may have missed some. And we thought it would be nice to put up some of the photos from the trip and to tell you a little more about it all.
An incredible aviation experience
The trip was so special not only because it’s such a rare and incredible privilege to go to Antarctica, but also because of all the incredible aviation experiences it included.
From the Hi Fly A340-300 flight to the blue ice runway at Wolf’s Fang (WFR/AT98), to the Basler BT-67 and Twin Otter flights within the seventh continent (operated by Enterprise Aviation Group), right down to seeing how they make an airport operation work in the kind of conditions faced at Wolf’s Fang, and what it takes to get the runway ready for a big jet. It was all simply stupendous.
Video #1: Cape Town to Antarctica by private A340
The first big bit of fun was flying on what was essentially a private A340-300 (operated by Hi-Fly for White Desert) down to the ice runway at Antarctica. Among my top flights ever.
The aircraft was ex-Emirates and you could see that right away. The business class (where most of the White Desert guests are seated, though there is a First Class section up front too!) is old-school but very nice for a 5.5 hour daytime flight. The onboard service is of a very high standard with the special White Desert style and branding. Cabin crew were absolutely lovely.
Stepping out onto the ice was simply incredible. It wasn’t overly cold, and though it was nearing midnight the sun was out because in early December down here it doesn’t set at all. Nighttime is the preferred time for this operation because it gets a bit cooler and the ice runway is less likely to get slushy, which would make a landing impossible.
Video #2: Exploring Antarctica on the Basler BT-67
Right away we got to have a second incredible aviation bucket list experience flying the Basler BT-67 – a modified DC-3 with new avionics, engines and more.
As you can see it is all just incredibly cool, and I think this would apply whether you’re a fan of aviation or not. Enterprise Aviation Group operates these airplanes and what an incredible team they have. Every year they shuttle these down south from Canada, and back up again at the end of the season. That is quite a ferry flight as it hops down the Caribbean and South America before crossing the Drake Passage, usually out of Ushuaia. Perhaps one day we can document that journey too.
Video #3: Exploring Antarctica by Twin Otter (on skis!)
The third incredible experience was getting to do pull some pretty serious G’s onboard the Twin Otter. The pilots clearly like to have a bit of fun with this aircraft. It can take just about anything you dish out in terms of conditions and it can also land just about anywhere, no prepared strip necessary. A really incredible, versatile machine.
The video and images speak for themselves. What an experience. We were also able to fly low over ice fields and nunataks for some incredible aerial sightseeing.
Video #4: Behind the scenes at an ice airport (Wolf’s Fang)
Even when not flying it was such a privilege to get to witness how White Desert’s team manages to run this airport on ice, in one of the most inhospitable and remote places on earth. The logistics are awe-inspiring.
I got to join for a full run of grooming on the 3000 meter runway, which was quite an experience (it’s very slow, so you have plenty of time to chat as well).
Video #5: Flying the A340 from Antarctica to Africa! (going home)
Going home was bittersweet but it meant one more beautiful flight on the A340, and takeoff from this ice runway was almost as exciting as the landing.
What was it like on the ground?
If you’d like to see more about what it was like on the ground in Antarctica for 8 days with the incredible White Desert team, I published a video on my own channel that focuses more on that side of things (also contains some highlights from the flying).
The accommodations at Whichaway Camp are at a very high standard and it’s so surprising that they are even able to pull off the level of comfort and fine dining they offer to guests here at such a remote location. Again, the logistics are mind-blowing, and White Desert makes it seem effortless. Here’s a closer look at some of it.
Hope you enjoyed this look at the incredible 8-day visit to Antarctica. Are you interested in visiting the seventh continent? Let us know!
Featured image by Stuart Hablutzel
