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Extreme world record breaking helicopter Journey : 171-day, 32,206-nautical-mile pole-to-pole trip.
:: 23 May, 2007
Two British-based pilots completed a record-breaking helicopter journey to both the North Pole and the South Pole on Wednesday, touching down at the Texas airport they left more than five months ago.
“We made it, we’re here, we did it!,” said a visibly emotional Jennifer Murray, 66, after she and co-pilot Colin Bodill landed their cherry-red helicopter at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, where a crowd of about 120 greeted them. “We had tough times and we’ve had great times,” she said.
Their 171-day expedition was one of the last great unaccomplished feats of aviation. They flew 32,206 nautical miles through 26 countries and made 101 fuel stops en route.
During a first attempt in 2003, the pair had a harrowing experience when they crashed in Antarctica 58 days into their journey. Both were seriously injured.
The pilots said they noticed the impact of climate change this time round.
“I think we can say that much of the bad weather we encountered is attributable to global warming ... When we landed on the northern tip of the Antarctic peninsula it was bare of snow,” Murray said.
Bad weather in the Antarctic forced the pair to spend several days holed up in tents and abandoned huts.
One of the longest stretches of the flight — and one of the most perilous — was the more than 500 nautical miles (926 kilometers) over open water between the tip of South America and Antarctica.
After reaching the South Pole, the pair double-backed along the same Antarctic route.
The North Pole was reached via an approach from Canada, and the return Arctic journey also took them over Canada. Problems with permits and weather scuttled an initial plan to return via Russia.
“We effectively did a figure 8 over the Americas,” Bodill told Reuters.
The expedition also raised money for SOS Children’s Villages, a charity which helps orphans.
Fuel was stored in advance in caches in the more remote polar regions and the pilots found them using a satellite-based global positioning system. More details are on the Polar First Web site.
Murray, a U.S. native, was educated in Britain. She entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1997 as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter. Bodill, 56, is a British helicopter pilot who holds the record for flying around the world in a weightshift microlight or ultralight aircraft.
News Inside News :
About The Team-
Jennifer Murray
Jennifer Murray, 66, is U.S. born and UK educated. She entered the Guinness Book of Records in 1997 as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe in a helicopter. In 2000, Jennifer did it again, this time solo. Both flights were made in a Robinson 44 helicopter, flying east west and raising funds for Save the Children and Operation Smile. In 2001, Jennifer and Colin took part in the London to Sydney Air Race, setting a new world speed record for helicopters. Jennifer has 3 children and 5 grandchildren
Colin Bodill
Colin, 55, is a two times World Microlight Champion and helicopter pilot, Colin has been challenging the elements since 1975. In 1998, in his flexiwing microlight, he set a world speed record for an open cockpit aircraft from London to Sydney. In 2000 he entered the Guiness Book of Records as the first person to fly a microlight solo around the world. in 2003 Colin and Jennifer made their first attempt to circumnavigate the globe via the south and north poles
About The expedition-
The expedition will take approximately 175 days, covering over 36,000 nautical miles and making over 120 stopovers in 32 countries.
Flying their cherry-red Bell 407 down the east coast of the U.S., through Central and Southern America, the pilots will experience the hottest and coldest places on earth, calm lagoons to the hostile waters of the Roaring Forties, deserts to the frozen Polar Regions as they head south to Antarctica and then north to the Arctic. They anticipate landing at the South Pole on the 30th January. They will arrive back at Fort Worth, Texas at the end of May 2007. To see the pilots’ full route click here.
This will be the second and final time the pilots attempt this record. They attempted the feat in October 2003 but 58 days into their journey and two days after reaching the South Pole, they crashed in whiteout conditions on December 20th. Both pilots sustained serious injuries and their crash was reported by media around the globe. Many might have called it a day after such an experience but Jennifer and Colin are determined to complete the challenge.
Jennifer and Colin are no strangers to setting world records. Jennifer has already set the world record for the fastest female solo helicopter flight around the world in 2000 and Colin holds the record for flying around the world in a weight-shift microlight.
Sponsored-
“This world record attempt and our environmental schools program with The Royal Geographical Society are only possible with the generous support of our sponsors.
Not only do they give us financial support, many also give us logistical help during the trip. They also give us encouragement in the run-up to, and during the trip. I am extremely grateful to each and every one of them for their support.”
In The Images:
1.Jennifer Murray & Colin Bodill
2.On the route
3.Pilots Colin Bodill and Jennifer Murray talk to journalists and wellwishers after landing their helicopter at the end of a 171-day, 32,206-nautical-mile pole-to-pole trip.
4.The Polar First project's Bell 407 helicopter touches down Wednesday at Alliance Airport in Fort Worth, Texas, 171 days after it took off from the same airport.
5.The Team strated to world record
Tags: helicopter , airport , North Pole , South Pole , ,
