User manual

Antarctica Vol. 1 - British Rothera and Beyond
Aerosoft GmbH 2021
14 15
English
power will dislodge the aircraft, and the only option is then to
shut-down and dig around the skis to dislodge them from the ice
beneath.
Takeoff on the snow is easy, but again a couple of techniques are
worthy of comment. The Twin-Otter is vulnerable in the nose-ski area
due to the heavy nose ski structure and the small nose gear attach-
ment point. To prevent damage over bumpy surfaces, the control
wheel is held full back whilst take-off power is applied. This is to keep
the weight off the nose gear and to ensure an earliest takeoff
distance, as well as preventing damage to the nose structure.
As soon as the aircraft becomes airborne, with the stall warner
blaring, the pilot checks forward slightly to allow airspeed to increase
for the climb-out.
When flying in Antarctica, safety is uppermost in the pilot‘s mind as
help is usually a long way off.
As soon as a field party is dropped off, they establish HF communica-
tions by field radio, as this is the only means they have of summoning
assistance if they need support. The pilot‘s job is not done when
flying the aircraft, as the aeroplane must be safely unloaded, bringing
skidoos, sledges, tents, fuel and supplies to the field camps. Depen-
ding on the distance to the camp, it is not impossible for a field party
to be entirely self-sufficient for a couple of weeks, with the contents
of one or two plane loads.
Some flights, the pilot is able to carry fuel for the entire round trip
- usually a three-hour endurance, plus an hour of reserve fuel. Other
times, the fuel must be taken along as fuel drums, which are then
deposited so that they can be used on the return journey. The
Twin-Otter will carry three 40-gallon fuel drums inside - or 300lbs of
fuel-per drum. Careful planning uses the least amount of fuel, as the
cost of transporting fuel into remote locations rises rapidly the further
away one flies.
Weather
been visited before, so inputs are reserved until weather is perfect -
clear blue skies, bright sunshine, and no overhead cloud cover. This is
to enable the best chance of spotting crevassing as mentioned earlier.
Unlike the rest of the world,
weather reports can be tricky to
obtain and at times unreliable.
Satellite imagery is used and relayed
verbally by radio to pilots either
from met forecasters on station or
else on location at the depots.
Many sites do not have a manned
presence, if even they have ever