The climate and geography of Finland could have been designed to test aircraft and their crew to the limits. Both need to be tough to survive here, In northern Lapland, where the boreal forest gives way to alpine tundra, the sun doesn't set for 73 days and the winter encases the ground in ice and snow for up to 200 days from October to May. Along the coastline of the Gulf of Bothnia, even the sea freezes for up to five months at a time. In the regional capital of Rovaniemi, the temperature during AIR International's visit was -34℃, but can reach as low as -45℃. Access here is hampered by frozen lakes and swathes of boreal forest which, when struck by lightning, can ignite and form vast fires. As if that were not enough, the challenges of policing Finland's extensive eastern border in these conditions are seen as an opportunity by those who would wish to cross it undetected.
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