THE NUMBERS BEHIND THE LEGEND


Díaz has made this journey nine times. He’s reached Cape Horn on three occasions and the Diego Ramírez Islands once. In a previous expedition, the group grew to 13 helicopters — so many they had to split into two formations. His ideal number? Five. “Five fits almost everywhere,” he says, “and refueling doesn’t take forever.”


To join one of these expeditions, Díaz looks for one thing above all else: a genuine spirit of adventure. Technically, at least one pilot per aircraft should have more than 1,000 hours. Candidates need experience in the Andes — Chile’s central mountain range — and time flying in strong southerly winds, what Chileans call the surazo: gusts exceeding 35 knots along the coast. Night flying experience also helps. “Sometimes the tracks stretch longer than expected,” he says simply.


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