Notes on Antarctic Aviation

• Main Author: Mellor, Malcolm
• Other Authors: COLD REGIONS RESEARCH AND ENGINEERING LAB HANOVER NH
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 1993
• Subjects: Terminal Flight Facilities; *LANDING FIELDS; *ANTARCTIC REGIONS; REQUIREMENTS; AIRCRAFT; NETWORKS; AIR; INTERNATIONAL; RUNWAYS; FACILITIES; SURFACES; HISTORY; OPERATION; Antarctic; Antarc*; Antarctica
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA273018; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA273018

Antarctic aviation has been evolving for the best part of a century, with regular air operations developing over the past three or four decades. Antarctica is the last continent where aviation still depends almost entirely on expeditionary airfields and 'bush flying,' but change seems imminent. This report describes the history of aviation in Antarctica, the types and characteristics of existing and proposed airfield facilities, and the characteristics of aircraft suitable for Antarctic use. It now seems possible for Antarctic aviation to become an extension of mainstream international aviation. The basic requirement is a well-distributed network of hard-surface airfields that can be used safely by conventional aircraft, together with good international collaboration. The technical capabilities already exist.