S5 Ep9: Fixing aircraft in Antarctica

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges of maintaining aircraft in Antarctica with two engineers from Rocky Mountain Aircraft.

What does it take to keep aircraft flying at the bottom of the world? In this episode of Iceworld, Nadia is joined by Eli Arseneault and Jeremie Amurao, two aircraft engineers from Rocky Mountain Aircraft who are based at the British Antarctic Survey's Rothera Research Station. Together, they discuss the unique challenges of maintaining Twin Otter aircraft in one of the most demanding environments on Earth - from ski landings on sastrugi to troubleshooting snags in freezing temperatures. This is Eli's third Antarctic season, and Jeremie's first. They share what it's like to ferry a Twin Otter all the way from Calgary to Antarctica, why there's no such thing as a typical day in the Rothera hangar and how witnessing glacial retreat first-hand has changed their perspective on climate change. Tune in to hear about the camaraderie, the challenges, and why they believe the BAS Twin Otters are the finest in the world.

People in this episode

Host: Nadia

Guests: Eli Arseneault, Jeremie Amurao

Topics covered

• aircraft maintenance
• Antarctica
• climate change
• engineering
• aviation

Keywords

• Twin Otter
• Rothera Research Station
• sastrugi
• glacial retreat

Mentioned in this episode

Products: S5, Twin Otter, a Twin Otter, Twin Otters

Books & works: Iceworld

Places: Antarctica, Earth, Calgary

More episodes of Iceworld

• S5 Ep13: Can I work in Antarctica with a medical condition? · June 12, 2026 · 36 min
• S5 Ep12: Meet the carpenters of Antarctica · May 5, 2026 · 30 min
• S5 Ep11: Can you be vegan in Antarctica? · April 7, 2026 · 33 min
• S5 Ep10: Living and working in the polar desert · March 2, 2026 · 31 min
• S5 Ep8: Christmas in Antarctica · December 22, 2025 · 29 min
• S5 Ep7: What to wear in Antarctica · November 24, 2025 · 36 min