The flight included three pilots and one aviation mechanic. The flight to Cape Town took 13.5 hours, and from Cape Town to Antarctica and back was about 12 hours. There are no emergency landing sites in the Southern Ocean, which is why flying there requires specific competence, permits and methods, as well as a long-range aeroplane such as the Falcon 7X, preferably one with three engines. Planning the flight was a complex task, and weather-related delays also had to be planned for.
Jetflite wants to fully utilise the features of our Falcon 7X in commercial operations, and already a year ago, we began preparations for evacuation flights and similar to Antarctica. No problems occurred on the maiden voyage except for a slight delay caused by weather. The flight proved the excellent performance of the Falcon 7X, and the trip in itself was a unique experience for the crew.
The flight also involves a piece of history: OH-WIX is likely the first Finnish aeroplane to visit Antarctica, and one of the small number of aeroplanes globally that have visited Antarctica.
Source: Jetflite press release, 27 November 2015
Kuva: Robynm
