First Airplane in Antarctica remains found

News from the Mawson's Huts Foundation has found the remains of the first airplane ever taken to Antarctica back in 1912.

Quoting team member Tony Stewart on their blog from Cape Denison (in Antarctica's Commonwealth Bay, on Jan 2, 2010) "The biggest news of the day is that we've found the air tractor, or at least parts of it."

That expedition to Antarctic by the Australian team in 1911-14 used the airplane as a tractor/sled since the wings were damage. The airplane itself is of a single-engine Vickers that was built in 1911. This is just 8-years after the Wright Brother's first flight folks! Eventually, the engine just could not stand the cold and so it was eventually abandoned.

In the 1970s, the remains where photographed. It appeared to be encompassed in the ice or almost. Now, it is underwater and the photographs on their blog show the fragments.

This posting will be posted on both of my blogs to start off the new year with.

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Ref. Yahoo.news. January 3, 2010. AP writer Tanalee Smith. (http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Frank-Hurley-Antarctica/photo//100103/481/8df8f64c065341e599a3f5f6079ea771//s:/ap/20100103/ap_on_sc/as_antarctica_explorer_s_airplane;_ylt=AvHiDsiYPpXMDWwlLd5Ey55xieAA;_ylu=X3oDMTE5M2V1OGVlBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl9yX3RvcF9waG90bwRzbGsDaW50aGlzMTkxMmlt). Image is also from this posting.

Mawson's Huts Foundation blog (http://www.mawsons-huts.org.au/cms/blog/).