C-17 Serves As A Bridge, Navigates Unpredictable WX In
Antarctica
An Air Force Reserve C-17 Globemaster III from the 728th Airlift
Squadron out of McChord Air Force Base, Wash., is supporting
Operation Deep Freeze by serving as a bridge for cargo and
personnel moving between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Air
Station, Antarctica. The C-17 and its aircrew perform three to four
round trips per week between the two locations. During each flight,
the crew must navigate through difficult weather before landing on
an ice runway at McMurdo.
"This is probably the most dangerous peace time mission that we
do" said Maj. Casey Guerrero, a C-17 pilot who has flown to
Antarctica eleven times, "It's just that the weather changes so
rapidly in Antarctica."
The ice cold and unpredictable weather is the biggest concern
during the flights to Antarctica. The crew takes a number of
precautions to ensure the aircraft is serviceable in the austere
conditions. They turn on the hydraulic pumps early to make sure the
fluid is at a proper temperature, and they cycle the flight
controls while the aircraft is on the ground to ensure they stay
above forty-five degrees.
Another major concern is the lack of places to land on the route
to McMurdo.
"There is nothing between Christchurch and Antarctica" Major
Guerrero said, "so we have to watch our cold weather procedures,
and if we have any kind of emergency we have to fuel-plan correctly
so we can make it back to Christchurch."
The crew has a predetermined point of safe return during each
flight. At this point they check the weather and determine whether
to press forward or turn back and return to Christchurch. Although
the weather in Antarctica might be good for landing when the C-17
takes off from Christchurch, the rapidly changing weather has
forced the crew to turn back a number of times.
"It all depends on the weather," Major Guerrero said. "It's
luck, nothing we can control."
The flights are a part of Operation Deep Freeze, an annual
operation that supports the U.S. Antarctic Program and the National
Science Foundation's research at sites throughout the Antarctic
continent. The Joint Task Force - Support Forces Antarctica
operation is led by 13th Air Force and includes strategic
inter-theater airlift, tactical deep-field support,
aeromedical-evacuation support, search and rescue response,
sealift, seaport access, bulk fuel supply, port cargo handling and
transportation requirements. [ANN salutes Master Sgt. Lee Hoover
Air Force Public Affairs for the story...].