Kenn Borek Air Ltd, Calgary, AB, in recognition for an outstanding and praiseworthy achievement in the
field of civil aviation in Canada in 2001. A call from Raytheon Polar Services, Denver, CO to Kenn Borek Air in early April for an emergency airlift from the U.S. South Pole research station of their medical doctor, saw two Twin Otters, each crewed by two pilots and a maintenance engineer, awaiting weather clearance at Punta Arenas, Chile on 18 April, to fly one Otter to the Pole for the pick up and the other to provide SAR coverage. By 21 April, 15 days after the original call, Falkland Islands weather office cleared Otter C-GKBG to the Rothera
British Antarctic Survey site for reconfiguration to skis. Three days later it was airborne to the Pole with replacement
doctor, Dr Betty Carlisle. Following a safe arrival at the Pole station, weather forced a delay in the return flight, necessitating an extensive heat up of the aircraft and engines in -68C temperatures before start up, and then, an uneventful but long flight, via Rothera, to Punta Arenas, Chile, arriving on 27 April . Stongly supported by the people at The Pole and the British Survey station, the rescue mission took just short of a month before the crews saw Calgary again. With us tonight, accompanied by his pilot wife, Sandra, to accept the trophy on behalf of Kenn Borek Air is one of the pilots who flew to the Pole, Capt Sean Loutitt. Truly a remarkable effort, and one very much worthy of the JAD McCurdy Trophy and what it stands for.