I found this on CBC's website,
Quote:
Calgary pilot, patient, leave South Pole
CALGARY - Canadian rescuers left the South Pole Sunday, carrying a sick researcher who needs to return to the United States for medical treatment.
Pilot Sean Louititt, with Calgary-based Kenn Borek Airlines, landed at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole research station late Saturday afternoon.
Following 10 hours of rest, Loutitt and the unidentified patient took off from the research station in the Twin Otter aircraft.
They are expected to land at the British Rothera Air Station on the northwestern tip of Antarctica around 3:30 p.m. ET.
They will switch planes at Rothera and continue flying to the southern tip of Chile. From there, the patient will be flown to the U.S.
The U.S. researcher is able to walk around, but has a condition that could worsen at any time.
Kenn Borek Airlines specializes in high-risk flights and regularly services the South Pole station during the safer months of November and February. This mission was completed in darkness as the sun will not rise in the Pole until Tuesday.
Loutitt successfully rescued another U.S. researcher from the same base in April 2001.
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Ottawa need to award Loutitt and his co - pilot with something. Heck , the US government should give them something because they keep saving Americans.
After the US military made the first rescue in October 1999, Loutitt and his crew from Kenn Borek Airlines have been called upon twice in the past 3 years. It's good to see that a Canadian company is the best in the world at something.
The only thing that ticks me off is the press coverage in the US. When the US military made the first rescue, it was all over the news, on tv, in newspapers and magazines. I think they may have even had a parade. I remember when the Canadians went down for the April 2001 rescue, the US media didn't even mention that the rescuers were from Canada or a Canadian company but they did mention that the doctor would be returning from South America in a US military aircraft. Some of the networks even made it sound like the Americans were doing the rescue.
If you read the story of the current rescue on CNN, there is no mention of who is doing the rescue only that it is a Twin Otter plane. IMO, it seems like unless Americans are involved, the story doesn't matter as much. Call me jaded and cynical but I'm glad to be Canadian.
I will close by saying that I hope the researcher makes a full recovery.
Canadian pilots rescue another sick person at the South Pole
Canadian pilots rescue another sick person at the South Pole
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