Maintenance, and Evaluation of the Pegasus Glacial Ice Runway for Heavy Wheeled Aircraft Operations
dimensional criteria, and structural evaluation guidance for operations of heavy wheeled aircraft at the Pegasus Glacial Ice Runway located on the McMurdo Ice Shelf near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This runway is operated by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) and primarily supports Air Force aircraf...
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| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
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2002
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| Online Access: | http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.170.2462 http://www.wbdg.org/ccb/AF/AFETL/etl_02_16.pdf |
| Summary: | dimensional criteria, and structural evaluation guidance for operations of heavy wheeled aircraft at the Pegasus Glacial Ice Runway located on the McMurdo Ice Shelf near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This runway is operated by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) and primarily supports Air Force aircraft. Two potential surface conditions are considered: in the first, aircraft land on an exposed glacial ice runway; while in the second case, operations are conducted from a thin (less than 130 millimeters [5 inches]) processed snow pavement (white ice) overlying the glacial ice. A minimum level of white ice strength is prescribed for the second case. The dimensional criteria are the same for either surface condition. The Pegasus airfield has supported C-130 Hercules and C-141 Starlifter aircraft since 1993 from the exposed glacial ice surface; starting in 2002, C-130, C-141, and C-17 Globemaster III aircraft performed routine operations from the white ice surface. This criterion, while written specifically for the Pegasus site in Antarctica, is generally applicable to any runway composed of glacial ice or compacted snow (thin layer) over a firm substrate. |
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