Traveling to the South Pole

Christchurch, New Zealand is the primary launch point for all passengers traveling to the South Pole through the USAP. I will take commercial flights from the United States to Christchurch, totaling 22 hours of flight time (33 hours including layovers). The next day we will go to USAP's Clothing Distribution Center to get outfitted in our Extreme Cold Weather (ECW) gear, aka the big red parka!

The flights for the rest of the journey are on military planes operated by New Zealand or the US.  McMurdo is a coastal base on Ross Island and is the largest base in Antarctica. The journey to McMurdo will most likely be on a C-130 Hercules. Earlier in the season, most transport between Christchurch and McMurdo is on a US Air Force C-17, but as it starts to warm up and the surface becomes softer, the larger planes are no longer able to take off and land so C-130s are used instead. 

Travel from McMurdo to the South Pole is either on a Basler or an LC-130. This plane has skis on the bottom to land on the runway! These planes are operated by the New York Air National Guard. Read more about the ski-equipped LC-130s here.