Polar Travel Advice from Quark Expeditions’ Helicopter Pilot

Amy Cassell / Virtuoso

Michelle Sole

Here’s how former British Army pilot Steve Fisher prepares for lift-off.

Fisher spends five months a year on board Quark Expeditions’ 199-passenger Ultramarine, whisking guests to ice sheets on Greenland, remote Antarctic outposts, and other hard-to-reach, snowy sites.

Years as a helicopter pilot: 27

Average hours logged annually: 300

Ultramarine has two eight-passenger Airbus H145 helicopters – what kind of luxury vehicle would you compare them to? A Mercedes G-Class – they’re quite utilitarian, but super well-built and very reliable. They’re too much of working machines to be called Rolls-Royces.

Your favorite helicopter excursion on Ultramarine? I love the flightseeing tours. Every time you get out there, it’s a different view, and the passengers are blown away. I’ve had people crying in the aircraft because they’re so overwhelmed by the experience.   

If you could flight-see anywhere, where would you go? I’d want to fly over and land on both poles – that would be an achievement.

How tough is it landing in the middle of Antarctica? It’s very technical. You never know when snow may start to whip up or recirculate as you get close to the ground, but we have lots of procedures and techniques in place. The first landing of the day is always tough, but we go out with only the guides first to drop them off and secure a safe site.

Do you see lots of nervous passengers? We have the odd few, but I always ask if anyone’s nervous before we take off, and I talk passengers through everything. If I know there’s going to be turbulence, I’ll give them a heads-up. I say, “If you feel nervous and you look at me and I look nervous, then it’s OK to be nervous.”

Your polar-packing pro tip: Electric hand warmers. You can get little rechargeable ones, and they’re great for slipping inside your gloves. Feet tend to be all right, the body seems fine, but everybody complains about having cold hands.

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