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problem was the cold. The temps at FL120 started at -23C near Iceland, but it got colder as we flew toward Greenland. We could not descend due to the risk of airframe icing at the lower altitudes, and with the heater not working, it got cold. I don’t mean a little chilly. I mean COLD! With an OAT of -23C, the cockpit was probably -10C while in flight. The sun’s rays
were bathing the cockpit on the way to Greenland, which helped keep the temperature in the cockpit almost bearable.
We crossed a cold front when we passed eastern Greenland, and the tem- perature dropped to -30C at FL120. I had an immer- sion suit fully on, blan- kets covering me, a goose down jacket, along with extra socks, shirts and long johns. I was bundled, but the cold was still extreme.
The landing at BGSF was easy, with the weather nice and calm winds. We ran inside (literally) and soaked up all the warmth we could muster. Both of us were bitterly cold-soaked and uncomfortable, but it was about to get worse. We took off from BGSF at 5:59 p.m., just before the time when the airport closes. The view up the fjord at
Sondestrom was spectacular as we climbed up over the many peaks to- wards Iqaluit, Canada (CYFB). Again we climbed up to FL120, and again it got cold. And it was going to get colder.
The sun was setting and our only source of warmth was going away. Additionally, the temperature was dropping as we f lew towards Iqaluit. The OAT was -33C as the sun made its slow descent below the horizon. The cold was simply unbearable. We were already bundled up with every- thing we could find to bundle with, but it was simply not enough. I lost feeling in my heels and toes. My well- gloved fingers hurt. My core tempera- ture was undetermined, but it was certainly lower than it should have been. Time just dragged on. It was a
4-hour flight to Iqaluit, and we were both frigid upon landing.
The next day Warren and I com- mitted to each other that something had to change. We had more than 10 hours of flying to get to our destina- tion, and most of that was over the cold of Canada with forecast temperatures below -30C. We went to one of the lo- cal mini-markets, and we whooped for joy when we found about 20 pack- ets of “foot warmer” packages on the shelf. With those small heaters, we felt that we had a good chance of be- ing comfortable.
We departed CYFB in the clear blue sky and started the climb over the vegetation-free ground in the arctic towards LeGrande Riviere (CYGL). We then broke out the foot warmers gleefully thinking about the heat they were to provide. But, wouldn’t you know it – none of them worked! There were no dates on the packages, but clearly they were older because they simply did not produce any heat. It was going to be another cold-soaking for Warren and me. The temperature was -33C and unrelenting. The cold takes everything out of you. It was physically and mentally draining. We knew we had nearly 5 hours of frigid f lying ahead of us to CYGL.
The views were smooth, beautiful, white and lovely, but there was just no way to enjoy anything because we were so frozen. Interestingly, I bet I took dozens of photos on the first half of my ferry flight from Nigeria to Iceland and didn’t take a single picture from Iceland to Duluth, Minnesota. It is not that there were no views to behold, but I just didn’t dare pull my fingers out from the gloves.
Upon landing at CYGL, I again bare- ly made it out of the cockpit and into the building. My feet hurt. My body hurt. I was so depleted of energy. I went into the building, took off the immersion suit, and laid down in the middle of the floor in the terminal building. I was completely exhausted.
Warmth returned to my bones, and I started to feel better. And then, an- other wave of glorious warmth came upon us. Two airline pilots from the area were dead-heading to another lo- cation, awaiting their next f light. They
saw us, took pity, and left the building to “get a few items.” They came back with some snack items and foot warm- ers. Oh my gosh, foot warmers! I would have given both of those guys $1,000 for those, but the Good Samaritans refused to take our money. Instantly I broke open the packages, and glorious heat began to f low.
We departed CYGL for KDLH, and the foot warmers were a com- plete gamechanger. Even though the temperature never rose above -30C in cruise flight, our feet and hands were much, much better. As we flew southbound, more trees began to dot the scenery, and many lakes and rivers of the region were still snow- covered. Hudson Bay was still com- pletely frozen over, but breaks in the ice were present, showing that things were beginning to change – spring was just around the corner. And then the sun began to set, and the bitter cold came upon us yet again. The foot warmers began to lose their ability to produce heat. It was going to be a frigid 5-hour f light.
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June 2022 / TWIN & TURBINE • 9