Good bye to our PARCA friends and Hans Christian

Just before departure, the twin otter pilots watch if the outhouse (tent lower left) is occupied (flag up).

This morning at 0810, the PARCA team left us on the Twin Otter, and Hans Christian went with them. Hans Christian has an important meeting in his hometown of Taasilaq so he had to leave.

They flew to maintain weather stations at the old NEEM site, at GITS and onwards to Qaanaaq. The day after tomorrow they fly to Kangerlussuaq.

There is a story behind the picture today: Yesterday, when the Twin Otter began to taxi from the parking spot, the pilots failed to notice that the outhouse was occupied. Poor Joel was sitting in there as the wings of the Twin Otter moved over the tent, and he got the full noise of the two propellers. This morning, the crew checked if the flag was down before taxiing past the outhouse.


What we have done today:

1. Said good bye to PARCA team and Hans Christian.
2. Racks in cook freezer complete.
3. Maintaining pressure in balloons until 2300.
4. Levelling snow over trenches with Yanmar and Pistenbully.
5. German pit studies.
6. Moving food to cook freezer.
7. Working on electrical grid.
8. Writing report of safety of balloon trenches.

Ad.3: We have now completed the pressurizing of balloons. Tonight we let the balloons slowly loose pressure.

Weather today: In the morning broken high clouds, at Noon overcast. Temp. –11 °C to -22 °C, Wind 4 – 12 kt SSE. Visibility: 3 km.

FL, J.P. Steffensen