Sunday, 19th. December, '99.
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Croydon Chamber of Commerce & Industry member Phil Asker, of Croydon Travel has been operating Antarctica sightseeing flights since 1994 in conjunction with Qantas.

The chance to be one of the first to see the sun in the new Millennium is a chance not to be missed - and to join this very exclusive group of travellers seeing the sun hours before anyone else in the world is rather exciting as well as the chance to see the incredible spectacle that is the world's last great wilderness - Antarctica - the world's highest, driest, coldest and windiest continent.

We will welcome the arrival of the third Millenium while circling over the mountains of Northern Victoria Land in Antarctica. The region surrounding the Ross Sea is based on the New Zealand time zone of GMT +13 hours, the world's first time zone and where sun shines all night long in December.

Use this link to see The Living Earth view from 1000000km, and turn night 'off'

Our Qantas Boeing 747-400 will descend to 3,077 metres (10,000 feet) above sea level or 615 metres (2,000 feet) above the highest ground within a radius of 180 kilmetres. We will sightsee over Antarctica for three to four hours in a party atmosphere with a six-piece jazz band on board playing in each section, streamers, champagne, dinner, dancing in the aisles and enjoy two New Year celebrations - first at GMT and again at midnight Australian Eastern Summer time.

Antarctic experts will talk about living and working conditions in Antarctica, the enviroment and history, and we will be shown a range of Antarctica videos.

Dressed in Antarctic gear they will mingle with the 350 passengers and share their experiences over the public address system.

A camera on the flight deck will give us a pilot's eye view from take off, and after our dinner has been served and we see the first icebergs we can start snapping !

Hopefully we will see Cape Adare jutting out into the ice-studded sea before descending to cruise over the spectacular high mountains including Mount Minto (4,163 metres) and up and down some of the world's most stunning glaciers. All being well, we will see Mount Melbourne, an active volcano and fly over the Italian Base at Terra Nova Bay, where New Year celebrations will be in full swing on the ground.

We will talk to the bases and hear about life on the ground and what they have planned. The clock will be counting down and by now, being in New Zealand time - the first place to welcome the new year.

It will be broard daylight outside with sun streaming in the windows - the bands will play Auld Lang Syne, champagne flowing, new found friends - doesn't it sound wonderful ?

We will then track across to Cape Hudson and Commonwealth Bay where the historic huts of Australian explorer Douglas Mawson are located.

The coastal scenery is quite different to the high mountainous areas and we will spend the next hour or so sightseeing over this stunning landscape.

The clock will be ticking down and it will soon be time to celebrate again - Eastern Summer time. As we count down to midnight in Melbourne it is still daylight, more champagne, more Auld Lang Syne.

Soon we will be passing through the South magnetic pole and then start climbing for our flight back to Melbourne and Sydney. We will have supper, more champagne, and the festivities will continue. Enjoy a snooze, videos, or chatting with new friends until we arrive back at Tullamarine around 5am. Phew !

Then, of course - I can fly over to Paddynet, and do it all again !

As I shall be taking my laptop and entering this trip up in my Virtual address book perhaps I will even link up with a few people before I leave.

Thursday 23rd. December '99

I've received my itinery ! Plenty of facts and figures, too, and a travellers guide for passengers written by Peter Keague, with plenty of references to Antarctica's history, enviroment, geology and seasonal habitants. Times are an hour later and I've booked accommodation so I won't have to drive straight home.

There's also an update - saying approval has been received from regulatory authorities enabling us to fly over the American base at McMurdo Sound, and New Zealand's Scott Base !

There will also be several TV crews aboard, with footage of the flight expected to be shown on TV news in Europe and the US before people celebrate New Year there.

Depart 4.30pm Friday afternoon 31st. December - Qantas QF2903.

How far is it ? - 9710 kms - 12hrs. 30mins.