We left the ice on February 20th in a luxurious manner...in a normal passenger Airbus with real seats, flight attendants, beverage service and windows! The Airbus, nicknamed Skippy, is generally used by the Australian Antarctic Programme but we received some free charter flights (and paid for the rest) in return for the use of our planes and personnel in a medevac operation from one of the Australian bases.
The 4 and a half hours flew by, especially since we were continually offered coffee and soft drinks by the flight staff who miraculously changed from their cold weather gear into neatly coiffed flight attendants (complete with cravats, perfume and makeup) somewhere in the middle of the flight. The highlight was an up close view of Mt. Erebus, the active volcano that forms a major part of our local landscape.
Notice that the "luxurious" flight didn´t keep anyone awake.
