User manual

Antarctica Vol. 1 - British Rothera and Beyond
Aerosoft GmbH 2021
24 25
English
When airborne:
Aircraft: „V-BB is airborne“.
Rothera: „Roger V-BB, your airborne time is at 1108 zulu, next report
passing waypoint bravo.“
Aircraft: „Roger next call bravo“.
Note: there is no Alpha waypoint, but the first waypoint is bravo a
point to the south of Rothera about 40 mins flying time by Twin Otter.
Successive waypoints are charlie, delta, and echo, which take the
aircraft about 10 mins flying time from the forward supply depot
Fossil-Bluff.
Every 30 mins, the met office issue a weather „ob“, obtained from
the Rothera Met Office, which in turn gets the information by HF
radio or sat-phone from the various field camps or field supply
depots. Again, the weather is copied onto the pilots navigation log,
and the QNH (sea-level pressure reading) is read back.
Note that at some locations there is no reliable QNH setting, if no-one
exists on the ground. In this case, a best guess QNH is set. More
importantly, great reliance is placed on the radio altimeter which gives
the height above the surface up to 2500 feet. Above this height and
the pressure altimeter is used with a healthy margin for any high
ground beneath.
Aircraft: „This is V-BB with position report“
Rothera: „Go-ahead“
Aircraft: „V-BB is at position Bravo at time 1148 zulu, altitude 5000
feet, estimate charlie time 1228 zulu, delta next“.
Rothera: „Roger charlie time 1228 zulu, next report charlie“
Aircraft: „Wilco“.
Similar position reports are made at charlie, delta and echo, or if
heading in a different direction then latitudes and longitudes will be
read out every 30 mins flying time. The purpose of this is to allow a
„flight-follower“ at Rothera to plot the position of the aircraft on a
large board of the Antarctic in the ops tower and therefore know the
general area the pilot is operating in at any one time as there is no
radar surveillance.
The flight continues and once VHF comms is lost, the position reports
are made on the HF radio equipment, which are usually much noisier
with static background hissing and crackles.
When approaching Fossil Bluff (in this case our destination) and
within range - approximately 15 mins flying time - the VHF radio is
used to talk to the ground party to obtain their latest weather
situation.
Further mention may be made as to the on-board cargo plus on-
board passengers, as well as what cargo or personnel will be embar-
king for the next flight.
On final approach a HF transmission is made to Rothera:
Aircraft: „Rothera this is V-BB on finals for Fossil Bluff, skis are down“.
Rothera: „V-BB roger, next report on the deck.“
Aircraft: “Wilco“.
Note the status of the skis (up or down) is always made to serve as a
final check for the pilot to double check that his skis are actually in
the required position, even though this should be ascertained in the
landing checklist.
Aircraft: „Fossil-Bluff this is V-BB on finals for the skiway, skis are
down.“
Fossil Bluff Apple Hut: „V-BB - roger skis down“.
Once on the ground the pilot taxies in towards the fuel drums where
refuelling and offloading of cargo can take place and carries out the
after-landing checklist.
Aircraft on HF: „Rothera, this is V-BB, on the deck at Fossil-Bluff,
shutting down, next radio call will be in one hour and thirty minutes
from now.“
Rothera: „Roger Bravo Bravo, next call in one hour and thirty from
now, time now 1330 zulu.”