Rfalconcam Forum

I grew up with Jeff and he is in Antarctica for 6 months building a new runway called Pegasus White Ice Runway. The first few days he was there, it was - 142 degrees. So far, they have had good days and bad days. It's beautiful there and I'll share pics as I get them. Here's a few he sent. He is in McMurdo.

Some more pics

Blow Your Mind !!! What Your looking at in this picture DOESN'T exist!! It's called a "Fata Morgana". If you look at about center of this picture you'll see a ridge of semi-blurry mountains. In reality they're NOT there, but you can take a photo of the Phenomenon!! Google the word and check it out !!! SPOOKY!!!!

He is so lucky, I know it's freezing there but he's having a ball. The Emperor Penguins should be there soon and he will have loads of pics then. Can't wait. After the runway is done, he's off to New Zealand then Australia. NICE!!

 :good post:Thanks for sharing the fun photos, Donna. I loved the ice block snowman and the Fata Morgana.

Dot in PA

So today, my friend Jeff is drilling holes in the Ice for Divers from the BBC. New documentary coming soon?

Here's what Jeff said:  Talk about cold.... Had to drill 2 holes in the Ice for these Divers. They were filming for the BBC. The water temp was 27 degrees!!   :tongue2:

I'll post em as I get em.  :D

This is VERY Cool Donna!  Thanks for sharing and I know I'm looking forward to the entire story!

A few more random pics from Jeff

Mt Erebus: He said it's been a little cranky lately

I love the night sky pic

Terrific photos!  Thank you for sharing them.

Happy to clm.....I'll have more to post soon....stay tuned.

Yes Thank you the pictures are so cool.  :wave:

Please keep posting the pics as your friend sends them.  They are wonderful and allow us to see the beauty in such a harsh area.

Oh I'll post them as I get them Lizz..right now he's on a mission for a few days..it's a  :secret2: so when he gets back, he'll send me more.

Jeff sent some pics of the Ice caves he visited. Pretty cool!   :tongue2:

http://www.aad.gov.au/Asset/Sounds/seal_yawn.mp3 (http://www.aad.gov.au/Asset/Sounds/seal_yawn.mp3)

Here's a Weddlell seal yawning    :sleepy:

http://www.aad.gov.au/Asset/Sounds/call3.mp3 (http://www.aad.gov.au/Asset/Sounds/call3.mp3)   Weddell seal underwater

http://www.aad.gov.au/Asset/Sounds/call4.mp3 (http://www.aad.gov.au/Asset/Sounds/call4.mp3)    Chirps underwater  Weddell seal mating season

Believe it or not, Bart sounded a LOT like that seal when he did one of those Really Big cat stretches and yawns! :eyecat:

First one sounds like a wazzup commercial and the second one a space ship

Runway almost done...C-17 testing. Here's 2 pics. C-17 taking off and landing. Still waiting for the Emperor (http://bestsmileys.com/animals/7.gif) pics.

I'll post them as I get them

I just asked him...have to wait for respond. I would hope so.

(http://bestsmileys.com/lights/4.gif)

Donna,

I love all the pics he's sending to you.  Thanks for sharing!

                     Kris      :penguinspin:

Me too, can't wait for more. Your welcome.

Well, here's his answer Janet:

Hey Donna,

"Just line-up lights.. If a plane lands at night it's strictly "Night Vision Sight"....."


I guess most planes land during the day Janet. (http://bestsmileys.com/cars/1.gif)

Ok, so this is what they do on their own time...pretty cool. They build Snowmocycles. :hysterical:

Now, WHY am I not surprised?!!!!

I'm with ya on that Janet.

I'm so excited....been waiting for them and they arrived yesterday. I'm sure we'll be seeing lots more pics.(http://freesmileyface.net/smiley/Penguins/penguin-002.gif) (http://freesmileyface.net)

Migration and Vagrancy:
Little is known about post-breeding dispersal or migration. Adults stay close to the permanent ice for most of their lives. Juveniles equipped with satellite transmitters, however, migrated as far north as the polar front. Vagrants have turned up on the South Shetland Islands, Tierra del Fuego, the Falklands, South Sandwich Islands, Kerguelen Island, Heard Island, and New Zealand.

Now the party is complete!  I love the looks of these guys!

These are so cool!!!!

2 more penguin pics and those 2 copters were just taken off the back of the C-17. WOW!!

Ok, add one of the Penguins to my "I want one"  list!   :laugh:  It's the feet!   :penguinspin: We need a foot smiley, too!

These pics are as follows:

The first pic is McMurdo Station where he is working. LOL

The 2nd pic is the Ice Runway.

Jeff has quite the sense of humor.  :silly:

He actually sent 4 pics but even though they were 4 different shots, they all looked the same to me, so I only posted the 2.  :stupid:

I think these were the best pics he's sent so far, Donna!   :hysterical:

 :ditto: :thanks2: :whistle:

One time when I was snowed in with a two-year-old in NH, I sent my Mom a post card with a similar view.  I divided the lined side of a plain white recipe card like a post card, with her address on the right side, and the message "opposite, scenic view of Wolfeboro, NH", on the left, a    pretty good rendition of what I was seeing from the windows.
Carol
WV

Jeff needs Glasses!   :rofl:

So you never know what you'll find after drilling a hole in the Ice. This guy pops up.

He's a cutie!  Did he stick around or swim away?

These caves are pretty cool...especially the one with the Ice crystals. During the Whiteout last week, Jeff said they had 5 feet of snow and the drifts were outrageous. I so wish I were there.

5 feet of snow!!!  Nope!  Not me, I'm a snow weenie  :laugh:

Ok, I see snow, but Jeff isn't wearing a hat, gloves, or parka.  How warm is it?

I asked him the same question???

Hi Donna,


nice pictures. I loved the seal.

Greetings
Annette

I asked Jeff about Penny and he said it doesn't look good for her. He said she shouldn't have been out there alone and was going back yesterday to see if she was there or well...who knows. Maybe I don't want to know.

He did find some Adelie Penguins yesterday and said watching them reminded him of a bunch of kids just playing and having a good time. Here's some pics.


Also he said it's against the law to interfere with any animal that is in danger. I'm like WHAT??? That's so sad. I told him if I were there, I'd be in jail because I'd break all the rules. Who's gonna know on that big block of ice.

Thanks Donna (and Jeff) - these are great pictures.  Remember, the predators have to eat, too  :falcon: :finch:

 :crying: I know

Just heard from Jeff on Penny the seal: Hey Donna,  Went out to Pegasus yesterday,Penny wasn't there... Hopefully she has found a hole in the Ice or has moved on to the open water !!!!

Good enough for me!  :clap:

Me, too! :clap:

Donna - This is a marvelous saga of Jeff's Antartic adventures.  He sent some great pics and I love the penquins.  But, those seal eyes get me every time.  So where is Jeff now?

~Joyce

Joyce, he's still in Antarctica until Feb, then he's off to New Zealand for a while, then home to Oregon, then to NJ to see his old friend.  :-[

He can only go out on Sunday's, his day off to scour the Island.

Great pictures!  My friend Lynn and hubby are headed to New Zealand in March (she went to Antarctica for vacation last January).

Ask him to keep an eye out for a wayward tiercel.

(http://shakymon.com/cgi-bin/iserv.pl?load=name{a},url{http://shakymon.com/rfc-pix/flysouth2.jpg}&scale=geometry{128x128}&send) (http://shakymon.com/flysouth2.html)

Will do Shaky  :2funny:  I love that creation. Miss Kaver.  :crying:

I love that face!  Miss him, too

Noses!  :heart:  I love the Noses!   :happy:

Hi,

nice seal pictures.


Greetings
Annette

The pics with mama & pup are adorable.  I do love those eyes.  Glad Jeff is feeling much better.

ahhhh baby I love babies


so glad Jeff is feeling better

Takin the easy way out!!!      :penguinspin: :penguin:

Oh, what fun!

Jeff is having so much fun, he never wants to leave. He's been exploring the whole area. 2 pics are from Christmas Eve. The other 2 are of the Aircraft landing on his new runway "Pegasus"

The last for now.

Jeff outdid himself this time.  Christmas Eve is just beautiful!

Look at those stars!  Beautiful and Christmas Eve, no less! 

I have a friend who worked the summer season in Antarctica.  She was in the Navy, and was assigned to do Air Traffic Control there.  She loved it so much that a few years later, after she retired from the Navy, she returned to Antarctica to pull a civilian shift.  I can't remember what job she had then, but she really found it a magical experience.

Soooo.........this is how they get the Penguins to Antarctica  :penguinspin: :wow:

Maybe Jeff will bring one home for you :-)

Hey....my mom got hers!!!! :crying:

:rofl:

I bought one today, too (1/2 price)!  I'll take a picture later.

It's not Woodstock but Icestock.

Jeff asked me if I wanted to go next year with him. He said they are looking for painters. I would LOVE to go except for 1 thing......I'm not flying! You have to get to New Zealand or Australia then go from there to Antarctica. I would need to be knocked  :hurt: out for the whole flight. I'll have to think more about this.

Looks a lot warmer there than here.

I'm with you Donna!  That said, our doctor has assured us that he can prescribe me a cocktail that will have me sleeping the entire flight, as like it or not, there are times when driving isn't going to cut it.  Maybe your doc can prescribe you something, too.

Not every landing is perfect in Antarctica. No one apparently injured but landing a jet on Ice is not an easy task....obviously.

Figures it had to be a Pegasus Aircraft landing on a Pegasus runway!  :o

more pics of crash

Here is the story of the aircraft involved in the crash:

Delivered to US Navy as an R7V-1, BuNo 131644 on 19 Dec 1953.

To VR-1 at NAS Patuxent, MD Dec 53, coded RP-644 and named "Taurus."

Transferred to Airborne Early Warning Squadron Fifteen (VW-15) at NAS Patuxent River, MD, in 1955.

To Airborne Early Warning Maintenance Squadron Two (AEWMATRON 2) at NAS Barbers Point, TH by 1956, redesignated C-121J in 1962 and to Airborne Early Warning Barrier Squadron, Pacific (AEWBARRONPAC) at NAS Barbers Point by Dec 62.

Transferred to VX-6 at NAS Quonset Point on 1 Sep 64, coded JD-5 and named "Pegasus."

Used on "Operation Deep Freeze annually.

One penguin painted on side nosewheel door for each completed Deep Freeze mission.

Coded JD-7 from at least Mar 66.

Modified with new antenna under tail unit for airborne ice-sounding in late 1967 and flight tested in Dec 1967.

Damaged beyond repair landing at Williams Field, McMurdo Sound, Antarctica at 2010 hours local on 8 Oct 1970.

The aircraft, with 80 on board, was flying from Christchurch, New Zealand, on its first flight of the 1970-71 season. After making six low passes over the field, the C-121J attempted to land in zero visibility, winds gusting to 40 mph in a snowstorm and in 90-degree crosswinds.  The starboard wing was torn off completely and the tail unit broken. There were only slight injuries to five on board.
 
The aircraft was subsequently broken up at McMurdo.

Paul

http://www.radiocom.net/vx6/connie.htm (http://www.radiocom.net/vx6/connie.htm)

Funny, Jeff just sent me the story

That's why they named the runway "PEGASUS"

Good thing I read the story through, as I was thinking a recent crash with a plane older than me!  Did the plane just come uncovered or is it always visable?

The Swedish Ice Breaker Oden has arrived... Next comes the Fuel Ship then the Cargo Ship. There is always something going on here !!!  From Jeff

They were waiting for this Ice Breaker to come

Very cool! 

Yah!!

The Ice breaker finally made it to McMurdo Pier. It took 1 week to break 12 miles of 10 to 12 foot thick Ice.  It came in at 6:30 this am and left in the afternoon to widen the path for the fuel ship and Cargo ship that's due to dock. Amazing this all is.


Jeff: "The BIG FLAT part of the ship does the Breaking, really cool to watch, it has water jet's in the front to help it glide on to the ice and crush it"!

I got to see the US Coast Guard Ice Breakers one year on the West River (keeping the channels open for the watermen).  :steff:  It is the neatest thing to see and something to hear the crunching and breaking!  THAT with around a foot in sections - 10 or 12 feet has to be an amazing thing to see!   :foxbinocs:

Jeff and Sir David Attenbourough and Charlie Downs. How lucky can a guy get?

Jeff's in the middle..   :clap:

Jeff:

Schmoosing with Famous Brittish Film Maker- Sir David Attenbourough and the Oldest Living Person who worked the longest in Antarctica - Charles Downs @ 86 years old !!!! Had drinks with them last night then took them out to the Pegasus Plane Wreckage today..... Life is Good !!!!!

I'll say "Life is good"

Sir David Attenborough heads to Antarctica   Published: 8:00AM Friday January 08, 2010
Naturalist Sir David Attenborough plans to leave Christchurch this morning for Antarctica to film his latest project.

Attenborough, 83, is best known for his Life series, documenting hidden and remote regions.

His crew's latest venture is a series of seven one-hour programmes about the North Pole and the South Pole called The Frozen Planet.

In Christchurch last night, Attenborough said he had twice been prevented from reaching Antarctica because of poor weather.

On Wednesday, he and some crew members left for the Ice at 6am, but could not land and flew back to Christchurch.

Yesterday, they were due to leave at 6am, but were then told the flight might leave at 9am, and it was eventually cancelled.

Attenborough said waiting for ideal conditions was just part of the job.

"This is what filming is about and this is what happens if you choose to film in the Antarctic. That's the way things go."

His uncertain travel plans meant he had not seen much of the city.

It will be Attenborough's second visit to the Ice. He filmed Life in the Freezer 17 years ago.

Five crews had been filming the new series since October, he said. "We know exactly what we want to do and how long it will take. We just wait until we get the weather and that will be that."

Very cool!  What does Jeff do when he isn't building runways on the ice?

He explores Janet. They have shops and bars but he likes to venture out to see what he can find. He has about 1 month left and he doesn't want to miss a thing.  The BAD weather is due soon and the new Winter crew comes in.

More Emperor's  :penguin: :penguinspin:

He's trying to get as much as he can in now. Clocks ticking away before he leaves.

1 more

Talk about grabing life with both hands!  Love it!

Nice penguin pictures.  :yes:

The fuel ship "Paul Buck" has arrived and will unload up to 5 million gallons of fuel. The water under the dock is 350 feet deep.

Jeff was watching the Minke whales last night playing in the coves. Cute fellers.

Ask Jeff if he knows which ship was standing offshore?

That is the Oden, Ice Breaker. Still breaking Ice.

Some Nacreous clouds Jeff sent. He's leaving in a few days....I'll miss his pics.

AWESOME!  Must be like the northern lights (sort of).  Do you see how creamy the light looks?   :clap:

 I have so enjoyed Jeff's photos.  Thanks for sharing.

 :ditto: :flash: :coolphotos:

Oh yeah. I have loved the pictures. Glad you let us come along.


Those clouds are so cool.

He is now in Christchurch, New Zealand. These are his last pics of Antarctica. He'll be back Aug 21, 2010.

Also pic of the Botanical Gardens where he is now. Big cry from the Ice. he was happy to see some green.

I'm going to miss :( his pictures, as I know that I will never get to Antarctica.  That said, what is he doing in NZ and will he be sending pictures?   ;)

New Zealand is where he will catch his flight to his next adventure. He's saying Fiji....who knows where Jeff will end up next. He'll be back here in April, where we'll all hook up and have a few  :beer:  (http://gs13.rimg.info/cde90d0f9149e3b0822bb8f792555b42.png)  (http://smiles.int-world.com/smiliegenerator/)

Fiji pictures would be nice too. Since I'll never get there either.  ;D

Mega Dittos That!

It's official, Jeff's going back to Antarctica for another round. Can't wait.

http://www.livestream.com/bobrivers/video?clipId=pla_7dd33915-ebe7-4fe5-b052-ef42b987d358 (http://www.livestream.com/bobrivers/video?clipId=pla_7dd33915-ebe7-4fe5-b052-ef42b987d358)  Here's Jeff on a radio show...Bob Rivers...move the time to 3:06 for his interview, the 1st half is music and news.

He'll be going in Aug, can't wait.

 :yes: goodnews: :yahoo:

Let's me it Three happy noises  ;)  Can't wait - loved the Antarctic pictures and the stories.  Good Luck to Jeff!

Oh, goody!  I loved his look into the nature of Antarctica and was grateful for the chance to share his experiences.    Another look will be great!   :clap:

Start a new "Antarctica - 2nd Season" thread  ;)

:2thumbsup:

Thought so  ;)   :clap:

I somehow missed this thread before...love the pics of the clouds there!  awesome!!

 :wave:   I like it!   :gum: