Ice Runways Near the South Pole

Following an examination of air photographs of the Transantarctic Mountains, 37 blue-ice areas were reconnoitered from the air, using a ski-wheel Twin Otter operating from the South Pole. Two sites were selected as potential airfields for conventional transport aircraft, and ground surveys were made...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Swithinbank, Charles
Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: 1989
Subjects:
Terminal Flight Facilities
Snow
Ice and Permafrost
*LANDING FIELDS
*RUNWAYS
*ICE
SURVEYS
WHEELS
WIND DIRECTION
JET TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
SITE SELECTION
AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS
TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT
BLUE(COLOR)
AIRCRAFT LANDINGS
ANTARCTIC REGIONS
GLACIERS
CROSSWINDS
MOUNTAINS
TRAFFICABILITY
GROUND LEVEL
SURFACES
TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS
BLUE ICE
LANDING FIELDS SITE SELECTION
ANTARCTICA
ICE TRAFFICABILITY
ICE RUNWAYS
RUNWAY TECHNOLOGY
Antarctic
Mill Glacier
Mount Howe
South Pole
Transantarctic Mountains
Antarc*
Antarctica
Ice
permafrost
South pole
Online Access:http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA211606
http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA211606
Description
Summary:Following an examination of air photographs of the Transantarctic Mountains, 37 blue-ice areas were reconnoitered from the air, using a ski-wheel Twin Otter operating from the South Pole. Two sites were selected as potential airfields for conventional transport aircraft, and ground surveys were made. On the Mill Glacier at 85 deg 06'S, 167 deg 15'E there is an area of smooth and level ice which gives a 7-km run directly into the prevailing wind. Five wheel landings were made there. Alongside Mount Howe there is a large area of level ice at 87 deg 20'S, 149 deg 50'W. It offers a 7-km runway, but there is a strong crosswind component from the prevailing wind and some bumps on the ice surface need to be planed off. Eight wheel landings were made at Mount Howe.

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