Fort Smith (Sep 29/03) - A former Fort Smith resident is back in Canada after completing another daring wintertime rescue at the South Pole.

"It's always an adventure," Sean Loutitt said from Calgary. "I think the whole crew enjoyed the flight."

Loutitt led the rescue of an ailing researcher at the pole and flew him to Chile. The unidentified man was returning to the U.S. for medical treatment. Loutitt, the chief pilot of Calgary's Kenn Borek Air, drew world-wide attention when he piloted the first-ever winter landing at the pole on a similar rescue in 2001. The recent rescue on the Sept. 20-21 weekend also attracted global interest.

"It was definitely a little easier than the first flight," Loutitt said. "It was more like a normal flight there."

On the day he arrived at the pole, the sun rose above the horizon for the first time after the Southern winter.

The main concern flying in Antarctica -- aside from unpredictable weather -- is the shortage of back-up aircraft, Loutitt said. "If anything happens, it's much more critical."

During the rescue flight, there were only two aircraft on the whole continent -- both Twin Otters from Kenn Borek Air. Each plane had a three-member crew.

The other plane was a back-up for the rescue flight, Loutitt said. "If we had any problems, they would have to come and rescue us." However, he says he has confidence in his aircraft and has flown to the South Pole many times in summer.

The rescue mission was a trouble-free flight, he said. "We didn't have any issues."

However, there was no break in the frigid Antarctic temperatures. At the Rothera station on the Antarctic coast, Loutitt said it was about minus 75 Celsius.

"Which is about as cold as it gets there."

At the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, it was a warmer minus 57, but the wind was blowing at 30 km per hour.

Loutitt said he was aware of the intense media interest in the flight, but he says he did not have to deal with it. Instead, he was busy getting ready for the mission.

In all, he was in Antarctica for just over two weeks, including five days waiting for the weather to clear before making the 2,700-km flight to the pole.