Design, Construction, Maintenance, and Evaluation of the McMurdo Sound (Antarctica) Sea Ice Runway for Heavy Wheeled Aircraft Operations

• Main Authors: Greene, James L., Schauz, William G., Blaisdell, George L.
• Other Authors: AIR FORCE CIVIL ENGINEER SUPPORT AGENCY TYNDALL AFB FL
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: 2006
• Subjects: Terminal Flight Facilities; Civil Engineering; *RUNWAYS; TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT; SEA ICE; ANTARCTIC REGIONS; HEAVY WHEELED AIRCRAFT; Antarctic; Grumman; Ice Runway; McMurdo Sound; McMurdo Station; Northrop; Antarc*; Antarctica; Sea ice
• Online Access: http://www.dtic.mil/docs/citations/ADA453025; http://oai.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA453025

This ETL provides design, construction, and maintenance details, dimensional criteria, and structural evaluation guidance for operations of heavy wheeled aircraft at the Sea Ice Runway located on McMurdo Sound near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. This runway is operated by the U.S. Antarctic Program (USAP) and primarily supports Air Force aircraft. These criteria are written specifically for the Sea Ice Runway site in Antarctica. This site does not meet the requirements for a Class B runway. Additionally, some terminology used herein (i.e., in the tables on dimensional requirements) differs from that used in Unified Facilities Criteria (UFC) 3-260-01, Airfield and Heliport Planning and Design. The concepts are generally applicable to any runway composed of sea ice, with or without a thin layer of snow. Prepared in collaboration with Northrop Grumman Technical Services and the National Science Foundation, U.S. Antarctic Program.