On Thursday a group of expeditioners went on a flight to Snyder rocks to perform annual maintenance on the automated weather station (AWS) located there. It was a beautiful day for flying with excellent visibility of the surrounding area, and a number of whales were spotted off the coastline along the way. A suitable place to land was established, and the plane touched down lightly on the snow. All tasks on the AWS were completed successfully, and the trip completed with a scenic flight over Casey station on return to the skiway. The following images were taken during the trip.
This week at Casey: 31 January 2014
A special flight to Snyder rocks, the power house shuts down and Casey station celebrates Australia Day.
Flight to Snyder rocks
Power house shutdown
This week at Casey our mechanical team began the annual power house shutdown. Completed every summer to ensure the integrity of our systems, the shutdown is a joint effort with the electricians and plumbers to complete testing and repairs to our main power house while the station is being run by the emergency power house.
The shutdown this year has gone particularly well, with works being completed to remove the old heat exchangers, all safety devices and electrical components tested and the engines run under full load for some time to ensure the performance and efficiency of our cooling systems.
With all systems tested and the power house given a good spring clean, our winter trades team have had some great technical exposure, and are looking forward to a good year ahead.
Nick
Australia Day celebrations
The Casey station population celebrated Australia Day in spectacular fashion on the weekend, with a range of activities keeping everyone busy. At 12:30 a Qantas chartered flight flew overhead, and we all went out to have a look. A minute’s silence was then held for Bob, Perry and Mike from Kenn Borek Air who tragically lost their lives last season.
The preparations for cricket started early with the rolling out and marking of a pitch, for the “Australia vs rest of the world” match. Australia was victorious this year, and much fun was had in the process regardless of whether you were a competitor or a spectator.
Dinner was a delicious spit roast, followed by an amazing green and gold cake. The evening’s entertainment was again provided by Scruffy and the permafrosts, who put on a great performance. Guest singer Scott (a.k.a. Bon) provided a heartfelt rendition of some classic AC/DC tracks, and the music seemed to resonate best with a particular person that just couldn’t keep off the dancefloor.
The swim was delayed to the following day due to high winds, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the Monday was a fantastic warm, sunny day. With the small groups of swimmers taking turns getting in and out, you needed to be quick with the camera to catch them as there was not a lot of time spent in the water! Despite the numb legs and ice cream headaches, everyone enjoyed the swim and was glad to tick it off on the list of Antarctic experiences as ‘done'.
on