ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force

Antarctica seen from
a c-130 cockpit
E! it
engineers will be busy loading and pre-flighting the aircraft for
the trip while the pilots and navigator receive a weather brief
from an American forecaster via a web cam. The Navigator will
then start plotting fuel graphs and calculating a point of no
return based on the winds and cargo/fuel load, while the pilots
examine airfield conditions and complete flight plans.
This is a critical part of the planning stage as the c-130
cannot carry enough fuel to make it all the way to Antarctica
(about an 8 hour flight)—and return home with cargo onboard.
Thus there is a point along the way that if we proceed past,
there is no turning back! As there are minimal options, if the
weather turns for the worse or the runway becomes unusable
for any reason, it is important that the decision to continue
is well thought out and made with as much information as
possible.
It is for this reason that Antarctica flights are considered
by some to be the most dangerous flying No. 40 Sqn
undertakes—Antarctic weather can be extremely fickle.
Some trips will be conducted as a ‘down and back’. At
McMurdo we remain on the ground only for as long as it takes
to offload and refuel. These can be long days for all involved,
when you take into account getting up at 0430, fly for 8 hours,
add turn around times, fly for 8 hours more, and then clear
customs once home.
crew duty limitations often play a large part in planning the
day. on some trips the crew will stay the night down there,
usually in the American base at McMurdo. This provides other
challenges that come from leaving the aircraft exposed for
is an amazing experience to be
able to fly to the most remote
continent on earth
Pre-flight preparations at McMurdo, note
the hot air being piped into No. 3 engine
an extended period in sub-zero temperatures. we operate a
cold weather checklist and change our procedures to reduce
damage to the aircraft from thermal shock [ie. rapid changes
of temperature on the aircrafts systems] and to conserve the
fragile ice runway. You can appreciate that the pre-flight takes
a bit longer, when you have to carve massive chunks of ice off
the aircraft!
There are many challenges with flying to the ice, and the
conditions for landing can change quickly. Some days it is
absolutely breathtaking—clear blue skies, pristine snowcovered
mountains, and not a breath of wind. other times
there are strong winds kicking up snow and reducing visibility.
That makes things tricky for a crosswind landing on a runway
made of ice!
we conduct our ice flights each year to not only help out
with the delivery of supplies and equipment to the scientific
teams down there, but also to keep up our training and
procedures for when they are needed in a hurry. This could be
in the form of a medical evacuation or a rescue mission, such
as the airdrop of pumps and equipment to the damaged fishing
vessel SPARTA [see AFN 133 February]. This year we made five
scheduled flights to McMurdo, plus two to assist the SPARTA.
I know that anyone’s first trip to Antarctica is memorable;
mine certainly was. It is a wonderful experience to stand and
see this so-untouched land. Although the days are long and the
conditions sometimes tricky it is an amazing experience to be
able to fly to the most remote continent on earth.
Air Force news 15