Planes, Pity and Penguins
Penguins lining up for a C17 flight last Saturday. Unfortunately, the plane was full so no luck. Maybe they through the stone that broke the windshield! (Not my shot. Don't share.) Current conditions: Con3. Temperature 10ºF!!! (with windchill 10ºF!!!). Mostly Cloudy. Population = 596 Planes: Today, a C17 heading to McMurdo with 85 passengers on board developed a cracked windshield fifteen minutes before landing. The plane had to abort the landing, turn around and head back to Christchurch. Why, you may ask, would it fly five hours back to Christchurch rather than simply land here? A landing is a landing whether on ice or on tarmac. Well, Phoenix Airfield in McMurdo simply doesn't have the equipment, the parts or the crew to fix airplanes. If the C17 landed, it might be a long time before it could head back. So the plane does a "bounce" and returns to New Zealand. Luckily, a C17...