User manual

Limesim Antarctica X 1.00 Antarctica X 1.00 Manual
Page 6 of 59
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.
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
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 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 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.
Take off 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 attachment 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 take off 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 communications 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.
Depending 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.