User manual

Antarctica Vol. 1 - British Rothera and Beyond
Aerosoft GmbH 2021
12 13
English
Flying cannot take place in these conditions so the opportunity is taken
for maintenance to be carried out in Canada and the crews given a
well-earned rest.
The flying season begins at the start of October, when the aircrafts are
ferried south from Calgary and down through North and South
America, where they are then configured onto skis. The final hop is
made from Punta-Arenas over the Drake Passage and into Antarctica
via Rothera Research Station-home to the British Antarctic Survey.
The ferry trip takes about two weeks and is an adventure in itself. Kenn
Borek Air, currently the largest operator of Twin-otters in the world,
send several aircrafts down to Antarctica via this route.
They have aircrafts in support of the NSF or National Science Foundati-
on - American science funded program - as well as Antarctic Logistics
Expeditions - a company which provide tours for climbers and tourists
in the region. They also have a Basler- or turbine powered DC-3 on skis,
which can carry the larger items of equipment, in Antarctica.
Once in Antarctica, the Kenn Borek machines disperse and the British
Antarctic Survey aircraft operate from Rothera, and one aircraft from
Halley to the east of the peninsula.
Then more machines fly onto McMurdo Research Station.
Patriot Hills is a seasonal logistics center and a depot for carrying
climbers into the Vinson Massif, where they can then climb the highest
mountain - Mount Vinson. The flight in here is a challenge and only
contemplated in perfect weather.
Flying as a Pilot
To fly in the Antarctic, several extra skills are honed which are
different from every other part of the world. Firstly, the ability to drag
skis is important. The technique involves landing in a suitable area and
then dragging the skis along the surface with just the right balance of
power to keep the aircraft flying. The purpose of this is to dislodge
any snow surface and expose any crevasses beneath, thus ensuring
the area is safe to land on. The skis are trailed for about 30 seconds,
the luxury of flying in Antarctica is that runways are not limited by
length or obstacles for most of the time. Once this is completed, the
pilot gets airborne again and at a low height usually commences a
270 degree turn to the right, so as to put the freshly made ski tracks
on his left-hand side. A low circuit is then flown at a couple of
hundred feet, and a close inspection is made - looking for crevasses
before deciding that the location is safe to land on. The height is
important, because if it is flown any higher, the subtle change in
colour of the snow may be too difficult to see if a crevasse lurks
beneath.
taxi loop at each end of the newly formed runway, so as to create a
preformed track to follow, when it is time to depart. Just before
shutting down the engines, the aircraft is left to stand for a couple of
minutes to allow the temperature of the ski undersurface to match
that of the snow. The aircraft is then taxied forward another couple of
meters and shutdown. The reason for this is to allow the heat
generated by the friction of the skis over the snow to dissipate. If this
is not done, then the skis often melt the surface layer which then
quickly refreezes and sticks the aircraft to the surface. No amount of
It is worth mentioning that the skis
are of sufficient area to maintain
the aircraft safely on the surface,
of even a soft snow surface. To
step outside, it is possible for the
pilot to sink up to the knees if the
surface is soft. When the aircraft is
landed, it is usual to continue to
taxi along the surface, creating a
Kenn Borek aircraft continue
to fly deeper into the conti-
nent via the blue ice runway at
„Sky-Blu“, where they change
onto board skis - much lighter
and more rugged than the
hydraulic wheel skis. From here
they continue to Patriot Hills at
the Ellsworth Mountains.