Comments | coneycat: Antarctica update

coneycat

Antarctica update

Jan 28, 2013 12:02

By now of course anyone interested has heard, but it turns out the missing Twin Otter apparently flew into a mountain, and no one survived. I found that out on Saturday morning-- I pretty much spent the night before refreshing news sites on my phone every ten minutes, so when I woke up at 6:00 I checked and they'd found the wreckage ( Read more... )

nostalgia, weather, flying

Comments 14

lyonesse January 28 2013, 16:20:30 UTC

:( condolences. what a sad loss.

coneycat January 28 2013, 16:49:39 UTC

Thank you. I hadn't seen Bob in nearly thirty years, but we reconnected on Facebook recently and it reminded me of what a fun, energetic guy he was. A lot of people miss him.

buymeaclue January 28 2013, 16:43:48 UTC

I had missed that story. I'm sorry it doesn't have a happier ending, and glad that there is space within the story that is for a little grace.

coneycat January 28 2013, 16:51:18 UTC

Thank you. It's just remarkable how uniformly well-thought-of he was. I remember him as a guy who encouraged teenage girls in their dreams of flying, and apparently he was the same way to everyone he knew. I hope that's some comfort to his family.

bogwitch64 January 28 2013, 16:57:34 UTC

Oh, wow...I missed all this earlier. What a tragedy.

I'm curious though--why October to recover the bodies, and not during the summer? Do you know?

coneycat January 28 2013, 16:59:19 UTC

Apparently it's related to the weather, and to the seasons when research missions will be there anyway. October would probably be spring in Antarctica, I think?

bogwitch64 January 28 2013, 17:01:16 UTC

D'oh! Oh, yeah, being in the southern hemisphere and all. It seems so crazy to me, October being spring. Crikey!

coneycat January 28 2013, 17:03:24 UTC

To make it a little more confusing, they're in their Midnight Sun period now, which I associate with summer. So I'm thinking they must be moving into fall, and the weather (which was awful throughout the rescue efforts) might be getting worse.

green_knight January 28 2013, 16:58:36 UTC

I am sorry you lost a family friend, and warmed by the knowledge that he encouraged you to live your dreams. He sounds like an awesome man.

coneycat January 28 2013, 17:00:12 UTC

Thank you. Yeah, he was kind of larger than life, for a short chunky guy with a goofy sense of humour. Even in memory, he just seems very... vivid.

dzuunmod January 28 2013, 17:50:13 UTC

I'm sorry for your loss. Erica and I were in Old Crow watching for updates much of last week too. We flew through his hometown on the way back to Whitehorse.

coneycat January 28 2013, 17:51:58 UTC

Thank you so much.