Flying into Antarctica presents a daunting challenge for both pilots and aircraft, requiring precision, resilience, and a unique set of tools. Among these tools is a 60-year-old Canadian plane, the de Havilland Twin Otter, which has proved to be ideal for this difficult mission.
“It’s a massive adventure,” says Vicky Auld, deputy chief pilot for the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). She is gearing up for the annual autumn ferry flight from Canada to Antarctica, an undertaking that takes months of planning. This year’s journey spans 12 days, covering 13,700 kilometers (8,500 miles) in 55 hours. While Auld will pilot BAS’s more luxurious de Havilland Dash-7, her colleagues will fly 40-year-old twin-engine planes with unpressurized cabins, adding to the difficulty of the expedition.
The de Havilland Twin Otters, designed in the 1960s, have earned a reputation as the “Land Rover of the skies” for their overengineered, adaptable, and rugged design. “They’re designed for bush flying,” Auld explains. “Whether on skis, floats, or big tundra tires, their short take-off and landing capabilities allow you to reach places impossible for other aircraft.” In Antarctica, the Twin Otters are indispensable, used for airborne scientific research, transporting supplies, and delivering field parties to remote and otherwise inaccessible locations. “It’s unique,” Auld adds. “I can land in places where no one has ever landed before.”
Despite modern turboprop engines, the Twin Otters have a vintage appearance, with visible struts, wires, and rivets. “You could say it’s fly-by-wire, but the wires are directly connected from the control column to the control surfaces on the wings and tail,” explains Dan Beeden, BAS’s aircraft operations manager, who oversees ferry flight logistics. Sitting inside the cockpit of “Ice Cold Katy,” one of BAS’s aircraft, Beeden reflects on its age and functionality. “Although Antarctica is our main focus, we do a lot of work in other parts of the world as well,” he says. The gleaming red Twin Otter is parked next to a World War Two-era B-17 Flying Fortress at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, where BAS conducts summer operations.
The cockpit of Ice Cold Katy is a mixture of old and new. The control column resembles those found in older aircraft, while the engine controls are hefty levers hanging from the ceiling. However, modern “glass cockpit” electronic screens have replaced many dials, and upgrades like weather radar and an autopilot have been added. While these modernizations make flying somewhat easier, comfort remains an issue. “In terms of toilet facilities, we don’t really have any,” Beeden says. “There’s just a tube at the back of the aircraft.” Other amenities, like air conditioning or a galley, are absent. “The cabin heaters keep the cockpit warm, but the top of the plane is painted black, so it gets hot in the summer,” Beeden adds.
While Twin Otters are used commercially in remote regions, such as Scotland, where Loganair connects the Scottish islands, BAS’s Ice Cold Katy has been modified with a large fuel tank that takes up much of the passenger space. For the Antarctic journey, an additional tank will be installed, ensuring the plane has enough fuel to make the trip. The ferry flight itself is not straightforward. While a commercial flight from North to South America is simple, the Twin Otter’s journey requires landing in 12 different airports from Canada to Chile. This complexity is compounded by the aircraft’s speed of only 150 knots (around 170 mph) and an operating ceiling of 10,000 feet (3 kilometers).
“There are lots of moving parts, and you’re constantly deciding what’s the best thing to do or, in some cases, the least bad option,” says Beeden. The flights present numerous challenges, from calculating fuel range to ensuring safe contingencies in volatile regions of Central and South America. Some areas are off-limits due to political instability, adding further obstacles to the already intricate planning process.
Pilots like Auld, who have been flying ferry flights for over a decade, still find excitement in the task. “I remember feeling incredibly apprehensive my first time,” she admits. “As a new pilot, you have 12 days ahead of you, flying into a new airport every day with different approaches, departures, and taxiways.” Communication difficulties, such as fast-talking American air traffic controllers or hard-to-understand Central American ATC, compound the stress of flying unpressurized aircraft for eight hours with extra fuel tanks on board.
These flights are significantly riskier than commercial flights and require special certifications. “We’re taking off at a weight where, if we lose an engine, we’re going down,” Auld explains. BAS pilots train for such emergencies in simulators, and in a real situation, the other person onboard would be responsible for dumping the fuel if needed. Additionally, the weather poses another threat, as Twin Otters fly through storms rather than over them, given their altitude limitations.
Flying out of icy runways and snowstorms in Canada is just the beginning. As the crew reaches the Gulf of Mexico, they face hurricane season, monitoring for tropical storms and other weather phenomena. Further along, they contend with fog near the Andes and powerful headwinds as they cross the mountains. At that point, they must climb to 18,000 feet and wear oxygen masks to avoid passing out.
The final leg of the journey, a 600-mile stretch over the Southern Ocean, is the most dangerous. The waters are notoriously rough, and the pilots wear immersion suits and life jackets in case they need to ditch into the sea. “There’s a certain point of no return,” Beeden says. “Beyond that, you have no other options but to continue straight to Rothera, dealing with any emergencies as best as you can.”
After months of planning, training, and preparation, the payoff comes when the Twin Otters finally touch down in Antarctica. “It’s the best and most challenging flying you can do,” says Auld with a smile. But upon arrival in Antarctica, more challenges await as the mission continues.
Every year, this intricate operation enables scientific research and exploration in one of the world’s most remote and extreme environments. Despite the dangers, the de Havilland Twin Otters, with their rugged design and adaptability, continue to play a crucial role in Antarctic missions. For Auld, Beeden, and the rest of the BAS team, these flights represent not just a logistical challenge but a unique adventure that combines cutting-edge science with old-fashioned flying expertise.
