Mighty Machines

Stella Australis is part luxury liner and part expedition ship, whisking passengers to the most remote areas of South America for one-of-a-kind encounters.

On this 14-day voyage aboard the Paul Cauguin, the waters come in a dozen shades of turquoise and the adventures are too numerous to count. But will a tropical storm bring some unwelcome excitement?

The LC30 Hercules "Skibirds" are equipped with heavy Teflon coated hydraulic skis and is specially designed for landing and taking off in snow and ice. Take-off conditions are sometimes so severe it has to resort to external rockets for an extra power push. We join the men and women of the 109th AW as they fly their "Skibirds" to Greenland's remote science camps on the final mission of the summer