Winfly is more of a season than the actual airflight. The McMurdo year can be divided into
Winfly from August to October. It’s and early contingent of people that come in 6 weeks early to help get the buildings opened up and the ice runway constructed.
Mainbody is the main summer season when all the science takes place. It starts in early October and usually ends towards the end of February. The day the last plane leaves is called Station Close and flight is just called Last Flight.
Winter begins at Station Close and lasts until either Winfly or Mainbody depending on your contract.
Ever since the B-15a iceberg grounded on the north side of Ross Island the ice in McMurdo sound has been getting thicker instead of melting like normal. This has played havoc with the process of the icebreakers cutting a channel for our annual supply ship. This year it took until Mid-March to get the last plane out. I would imagine if the ice doesn’t melt that will happen again this year.
Sometimes they call these late summer seasons reverse Winfly.
Two years ago we had a medical emergency and the flew in a very late plane on april 20th, the last day of sunlight. That flight was just called the Medivac.
mike