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,,, I heard a report on this about two hours ago on New Zealand's NATIONAL RADIO.

Aussie has a chain store millionaire called Dick Smith - he's like a downunder Radio Shack equivalent. He's flown around the world by helicopter and he threw his two cents into this morning's report by phone. Aviating by helicopter isn't the safest choice, so I assumed up to now that Dick would have known better, but no... he offered confirmation that money and common sense aren't an interface.

He immediately attacked the US by stating that the US has a base at McMurdo Sound for political reasons and their policy of not supplying fuel was appalling etc.

I've always thought that even crossing a road takes an element of planning. Others who have done the trans-polar glory trek have been smart enough to stash an adequate fuel dump in case of headwinds or any other reason. New Zealand, Australia, the US and Italy are some nations that have scientists and staff on the ice right now. Their provisions are calculated with margins built in and they arrive in Antarctica at great cost.

The spirit of adventure is an awesome thing, but it stands taller when it's not mixed with the element of stupidity.

There is no Mobil, Shell, BP, Challenge or Caltex down there. The territory has never been sold as a convenience stop or drop in centre either. The Yanks, Kiwis and Aussies are justified in setting this precident.

Who said anything about banned? All I've seen from the statements on this thread is the belief that this guy should have planned better and taken some responsibility for his own safety. He's obviously not poor, so there's no reason why he couldn't have put some contingency plans in place and researched his options a little. I'm not even a licensed pilot and I know how badly headwinds can screw up your fuel economy. If this guy really flew around the world, then he's obviously an experienced pilot who should have been aware that this type of thing could happen. If he planned to land at one of these stations as his contingency, then he should have checked to verify that they had the capacity and willingness to help him. One email could have saved this guy a LOT of time and trouble...he'd have been aware that he'd need to have parts and fuel standing by in the event that he didn't make it. But no, he couldn't be bothered with that...he simply ASSUMED that he'd be given whatever assistance he needed by the government. I applaud the guys adventuring spirit, but he really dug his own hole here.

We're just talking about 100 gallons of fuel...

...that has to be shipped to Antarctica, via air freight, at no insignificant cost. We're not talking about popping down to the corner Exxon here - I really doubt that the $2/gallon or so he usually pays for AvGas is going to cover the expense involved. Besides which, McMurdo is a research station, not a commercial airport - they may not have the fuel to sell to him in the first place, insofar as they probably only bring in what they themselves need.