Aborted flight

I was supposed to leave at 4:15 this morning for the airport.  Got up at 3:15, dressed, packed and then got a call at 3:45 that the flight was canceled due to weather.  Grrrr.   The good news, I finally heard from Dean.  He arrived safe and sound.  Here is his first email. Anyone who knows Dean knows that this was a great day for him!  Except for the progress note.

I actually imagine the reason we didn't go was fatigue in the aircrew.  They left at 2:00 PM yesterday and arrived at McMurdo at 7:30 PM.  Then, they turned it around after unloading all the cargo (around 9?), flew for another 5.5 hours and arrived back here, I imagine, after 2 AM.  Did they really have the wherewithal to head out again for another 8 AM flight?   I don't know how many flight crews are available but there's only one plane.

The process of leaving is complicated.  Here are the steps:

1. We get picked up about four hours before the flight
2. After stopping at the various hotels where people are stationed, we arrive at the clothing distribution center at the USAP where our cold-weather gear has been stored.
3. We put on the gear that is required for traveling on the plane (the bunny boots, the jacket,the overalls, the balaklava, the goggles and the gloves).  
4. We create a "boomerang bag", also known as a 72-hour bag.  The bag is to have everything we would need to last 72 hours more in Christchurch.  If, after the 5.5 hour flight to McMurdo, the pilot determines the conditions are too iffy for landing (perhaps after circling for several hours), we head back to Christchurch and we're handed only our boomerang bag.  The rest of our luggage stays on the plane.  This happens not infrequently.  
5. We weigh our belongings.  If they weigh over 85 pounds, we have to off-load something.  Although they weigh us, too, they don't have a limit on human weight so many people just take their overage and stuff it in their "Big Red" (the jacket has multiple, huge pockets).  Coats are often chock full of scotch, wine, butter, cheese and fresh fruits and vegetables.  My bags are quite underweight (probably only 60 pounds) so I'm bringing some cheese, two pounds of butter, two pounds of coffee, three big chocolate bars, a bag of mandarin oranges and a bag of apples for Rosh Hashanah. But with enough room in my carry-on, I probably won't need to stuff my coat.  
6. If everything is okay, they check our passports and give us a boarding pass.  Then, we take our carry-ons and have a few hours to meander about in search of food (not likely to be found at 6:30 AM).  They want us to eat because the box lunch provided on the plane is meager and, if we boomerang, we'll be on the flight for as many as 13 hours.

It has taken me quite a lot of coaching from our nurse manager to figure this all out.  The rules make packing kind of like a puzzle, especially since I'm carrying lab reagents that need special attention.  I worked it out this morning and then had to undo it (the perishables, including the lab reagents, wanted out).  Not looking forward to making this a daily routine.

I've spent the day again in the library but if there's another delay, I'm renting a car tomorrow and heading out.  Here's another pretty picture of the country.  It is a lovely place!