To remember the Erebus crash 30 years ago, Air NZ is paying for six people to fly to Antarctica and visit Mt Erebus. The people chosen are family members of someone who was killed in that plane crash. These six people were chosen by ballot. To find out more about the crash, listen to Oct 23rd 2009.
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The family members flew in a US Air Force Globemaster this morning. These are not comfortable planes. There are a few seats in the middle for some people. Other people sit on the floor around the sides. There are no flight attendants to serve meals or drinks. Passengers carry their lunch in a brown paper bag. The planes are very noisy but they are big enough to carry machinery and vehicles to Antarctica. The trip took five hours.
The family members will stay in Scott Base for three days. Helicopters took them to Mt Erebus tonight but it was too windy to land. They will try again tomorrow. A sculptor made a capsule which contains messages from New Zealanders. They will bury this capsule in the snow. There will also be a religious service on the mountain tomorrow. Also tomorrow, there will be services in Christchurch and Auckland to remember the terrible crash that killed 257 people.
The weather today was excellent for Antarctica – only -6 degrees C. Good weather is needed to fly these people home again too. |