Worksop College East Greenland Catalina Expedition
Catalina to Greenland 2015: Final Report
G-APFV NE Greenland Catalina Recce:
Fly on the recce flight to Faxa Sø with John Thorogood (video):
G-APFV to NE Greenland: Recce Flight Report by John Thorogood
Read the Full Story! in Catalina News 84 - Autumn/Winter 2015 **
Location: Scoresbysund, North East Greenland. Map: 70.13 N, 28.47 W at Faxa Sø, Hjørndal
Leader: Neal Gwynne Chief Pilot: Paul Warren Wilson Members: 17 other air-crew, pupils and staff
Objectives: We will fly from the UK to North East Greenland in the Catalina Miss Pick Up to explore the mountains round Scoresbysund. During our time in the field, pupils will receive further training and experience that will hopefully lead to them becoming independent mountaineers upon leaving school.
Read all about it (before) in Catalina News 83 - Summer 2015, pages 6 & 8.
Dates: 7 July to 1 August 2015
See http://wsnl.co.uk/OperationWorldFirst/
Track Miss Pick Up (G-PBYA) on her journeys.
Tuesday 7 July: The Catalina, Miss Pick Up collects the team from Loch Lomond. BBC Scotland reports:
Arctic expedition pupils flying in a boat in the sky
Watch the Video of Miss Pick Up at Loch Lomond, by Allen McLaughlin
Miss Pick Up flies to Akureyri, Iceland.
John Thorogood reconnoitres the lakes in his Piper Apache and Faxa Sø is ice free! Watch the Video:
G-APFV NE Greenland Catalina Recce
Miss Pick Up and Piper Apache at Akureyri Faxa Sø, Hjørndal Greenland (John Thorogood, 7 July)
Wednesday 8 July: Miss Pick Up lands at Constable Point Airport, North East Greenland.
Miss Pick Up over Kap Tobin (Tore Andreasen)
Friday 10 July: Miss Pick Up does two flights, taking the team to their Base Camp by Faxa Sø.
NB The name Faxa Sø was used by a Lauge Koch expedition which camped by the lake in 1958. They were supported by Catalina flying boats from Flugfélag Íslands (which later merged with Loftleiðir to form Icelandair). All the aircraft had names with "faxi" affixed - Sæfaxi, Hrimfaxi etc.
Saturday 11 July: Miss Pick Up flies back to Reykjavik.
Monday 13 July: All at base camp, raring to go.
Tuesday 14 July: A very long, 15 hours, but really successful day - two first ascents, one ‘small’ one at ca. 1000m and one at 1729m!
Friday 17 July, 9.15 pm: On top of another unclimbed peak at 1670m! Beautiful weather - looking to the Greenland ice cap on one side and the fjords with ice bergs on the other.
Friday 24 July: Now camping at the northern end of the lake - the best so far - no mosquitoes! A 10 hours climb on Wednesday led to a cairn on a 1100m peak with stunning views. Now glorious sunshine again after some overcast days, but high winds each morning. The Catalina plans to take 2/3 of the group back to Constable Point on Monday and the rest plus equipment on Tuesday.
Sunday 26 July: The Catalina flies back to Constable Point.
Monday 27 July: First pick-up by Miss Pick Up from Faxa Sø
Tuesday 28 July: Second pick-up and back to Constable Point.
Wednesday 29 July: Miss Pick Up is back in Akureyri.
Friday 31 July: The team flies back to Stornoway.
Saturday 1 August: Welcome home to Retford Gamston Airport Congratulations!
Listen to Headmaster Gavin Horgan talking about the Expedition on RTE Radio 1.
PhotoGallery
(A 'Taster' of Photographs from Neal Gwynne ©)
Miss Pick Up over Faxa Sø
Miss Pick Up on Faxa Sø Iceberg hopping in flight in Scoresbysund 
On Top
Contact (forwarded through the Arctic Club): arctic.club.uk@gmail.com
Supported by: HRH Prince Philip, Gino Watkins Memorial Fund, RAF Benevolent Fund
