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It’s got some pilots feeling flighty.
Antarctica has become a trendy travel spot for extreme adventurers looking to chill out, with some intrepid explorers spending upwards of $25,000 for an icy-cold expedition, according to Aurora Expeditions.
Despite the enticing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunities to take a true polar plunge or go penguin-spotting, many aviation experts say it’s actually among the scariest places on the planet to fly.
It’s not for lack of experience, or even the planes themselves — despite recent crashes and incidents that have air travelers feeling anxious — it’s the weather and inestimable climate.
“I’ve flown into mountainous regions, remote islands and through tropical storms. But Antarctica? That’s different,” Richard Wells, a 54-year-old retired pilot, told The Mirror.
“Weather changes with no warning, there are no proper runways in most areas, and if something goes wrong — there’s no backup. It’s not worth the risk.”
Though the pilot has logged over 10,000 hours of hang time and has decades of experience flying over Europe, Asia, and the Americas, he’s perfectly fine to leave Antarctic travel to the adventurers.
“There’s no margin for error. The infrastructure is minimal, and even experienced flight crews have limited options if conditions deteriorate mid-flight. That’s not something I’d ever gamble with,” Wells said.
Commercial planes almost never fly in the region, and often, specialized, highly trained charter pilots are the only ones making the journey, Wells added. The small planes that fly there are also typically more prone to turbulence, making the windy skies above the sea especially scary.
“Exercise increased caution in Antarctica due to environmental hazards posed by extreme and unpredictable weather and limited emergency services,” warned a July 28 travel advisory issued by the U.S. government.
The Drake Passage — the rough stretch of southern sea between the tip of Chile and icy Antarctica — has been regarded as one of the most dangerous ocean crossings for well over a century, and according to weather experts, for good reason.
“It’s the only place in the world where those winds can push all around the globe without hitting land – and land tends to dampen storms,” Alexander Brearley, oceanographer and head of open oceans at the British Antarctic Survey, told CNN.
“The Southern Ocean is very stormy in general [but] in the Drake you’re really squeezing [the water] between the Antarctic and the southern hemisphere,” he said. “That intensifies the storms as they come through.”
Apparently, waves regularly churn and crash anywhere between 15 and 49 feet — when they reach storm wave classification.
Between the waves and wind, ship captains and pilots alike are wary about crossing the stormy stretch of the Antarctic Ocean — which is why the passage is so highly regulated.
Last month, an American teenager was detained in Chile after attempting to make the flight without clearing it with the proper authorities first.
He was attempting to fly around the world solo, but experienced complications while in the air and landed at a Chilean air base.
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