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Airbus: an International Air Transportation System for Antarctica

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Airbus: an International Air Transportation System for Antarctica Airbus: an international air transportation system for Antarctica PHILIP M. SMITH Office of Polar Programs National Science Foundation JOHN B. DANA Antarctic Development Squadron Six, U.S. Navy The concept of an international antarctic air for greater international cooperation for the transportation network, or airbus system, has been achievement of common scientific goals. advanced a number of times (Robin, 1968; Smith, 1970). This article presents the concept and ob- jectives of such a network, reviews its advantages Outer terminals for scientific research, and discusses international pooling and scheduling of national logistics re- At present, outer terminals to Antarctica are sources to achieve the airbus system objectives. Christchurch in New Zealand, Punta Arenas in Chile, and several airfields in southern Argentina. South Africa and Australia also could serve as Objectives and concept jumping-off points, but development of these air- links has been limited by flight facilities at the Objectives of the airbus system are to ease re- antarctic end, terminal weather forecasting, flight search by (1) providing intercontinental and intra- safety, distance, and other considerations. continental access to all parts of Antarctica From New Zealand, entry is through the U.S. throughout the austral summer for scientists and McMurdo Station, where extensive facilities are technical experts from all nations, (2) providing available to receive and, to some extent, maintain intercontinental transportation (luring the austral aircraft, both wheeled and ski-equipped. McMurdo winter to selected locations on the continent, and also can house and subsist incoming passengers and (3) enhancing cooperation among nations signa- handle cargo. At present, McMurdo is the only tory to the Antarctic Treaty. station in Antarctica with such a complete range These objectives are to be realized through pool- of services. ing and common scheduling of aviation resources. The LC-130 Hercules, together with such short- The other generally feasible intercontinental ap- range, ski-equipped aircraft as the de Havilland proach is from South America, with flights termi- nating at the Argentine Marambio Station on Sey- Twin Otter, have revolutionized air travel throughout the vast expanses of Antarctica. The mour Island (64° 17S. 57° 45W.) on the Antarc- Hercules operates not only from prepared landing tic Peninsula. At present, facilities on Seymour areas but also from unprepared open-field locations Island are not adequate for large-scale intercon- on the icecap or on ice shelves, placing scientists tinental air operations such as those conducted at and their camps in remote areas (fig. 1). This McMurdo. Argentine Air Force C-130s (without flexibility has attracted many polar experts who skis) fly from and to Buenos Aires about once a previously were unable to work in Antarctica. In month. Smaller planes have been flown to several a smaller way, the Twin Otter has the same flexi- stations, including the U.S. Palmer Station, on the bility as the Hercules. Antarctic Peninsula. It is feasible to build an en- The even greater flexibility resulting from a con- larged facility on Seymour Island, and Argentine tinent-wide airbus system would serve as a catalyst antarctic authorities are exploring ways of up- 16 ANTARCTIC JOURNAL grading the present runway facilities. The U.S. of Antarctica. The capabilities of these aircraft are Siple station and the British station at Halley Bay such that the feeder service—operating among the central terminals and the other antarctic stations are only 900 miles (/2 hours of flight time by LC-130) from Seymour Island (fig. 2). and field locations—could be provided easily. For From these intercontinental terminals, most sta- example, scientists and logistics personnel delivered tions in Antarctica could receive air service through to Seymour Island by Argentina, the United King- inauguration of the airbus system. The building dom, or Chile could be moved subsequently to of aviation support facilities at Molodezhnaya and virtually any location on the Antarctic Peninsula Halley Bay would provide an almost perfect net by smaller planes or helicopters. Or, scientists de- of major terminals, as shown in fig. 2. The system livered to Molodezhnaya by way of McMurdo (by would then require initiation of a periodic inter- New Zealand and the United States) could be fer- station service among the major terminals and ried to Syowa and Mawson with little difficulty, establishment of feeder lines to the other stations using air flight services now possessed by the Soviet and to field locations. Union and Australia. Prepared skiways critical Advantages to science Using Hercules planes, the minimum large intra- Advantages of the airbus system to the antarctic continental terminals needed to support the feeders sciences are numerous. The system would facilitate are Seymour Island (Argentina), Halley Bay austral summer research by placing investigators— (United Kingdom), Molodezhnaya (Soviet Union), especially schedule-sensitive geologists, glaciologists, and McMurdo (United States). Prepared skiways and biologists—in the field on schedules that permit are critical to economical, near-gross-weight use of best use of their time. For some portions of the ski-equipped planes; and runways for wheeled continent, a year-round access may be feasible. This operations, which allow even greater payloads, are access would aid special studies in the atmospheric desirable wherever they can be developed on land sciences at locations such as Siple and Dumont or hard, smooth ice. These four stations have de- dUrville. Equally important is the prospect of veloped facilities or have the necessary character- placing scientists in the pack ice, a region to which istics for operation of large airplanes. they could deploy by aircraft, surface effect vehicles, The intracontinental terminals would serve as or other transport means. Remote sensing studies, points from which other aircraft, e.g., twin-engine which require both aircraft and trained observers, and smaller four-engine planes and helicopters, would be facilitated by development of the con- could economically provide air service to all parts tinent-wide network of aviation support facilities. Figure 1. At Wetmore Glacier in early November 1969, a U.S. Navy LC-130 idles while Seabees and U.S. Geological Survey topographers erect a Jamesway hut. January-February 1973 17 The airbus system would encourage international 2. Scientists delivered to any location, or picked cooperation in research and data exchange by up for further transport, could be placed in field bringing scientists into contact with their interna- locations by other aircraft or returned to central tional colleagues. terminals for further transportation homeward, or to other stations or field locations. A more complete primary station network would Implementation of the airbus system include an intracontinental terminal on the Wilkes The aviation assets presently available in Antarc- Coast, with periodic flights to that terminal as well tica are listed in table 1. We feel that partial shar- as those identified in table 2. Katabatic winds and ing of these resources for the flight support of all terrain combine forces in that region to challenge scientists in Antarctica would not put an undue aircraft operations. There are large sastrugi. Loca- burden on the resources of any nation, nor would tions free of sastrugi are often inland, making re- establishment of fueling and aircraft servicing cap- fueling difficult. Winds have damaged aircraft used abilities be a burden. These resources could be by Soviet and Australian expeditions. An intra- developed systematically over a period of several continental terminal in this region is desirable and antarctic seasons. Each nation could concentrate should be the subject of a special study by the on the development of its own capability in accord- nations with operating experience in the region. ance with an agreed plan. International discussion Weather data collection and processing, together with an improved international communications The proposed airbus system has been discussed facility, would be required to operate the air at two recent international meetings. The Twelfth services and to provide for the safety of planes and Meeting of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic passengers. Further, more common fuel and fueling Research held in Canberra in August 1972 recom- systems would he required, as would coordinated mended that the matter be considered by the con- communication and aviation procedures. The key tracting parties to the Antarctic Treaty. At the to the system is the collective, or pooled, value of Seventh Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic national assets and an agreed schedule. Treaty governments in Wellington, October 30 to Once the antarctic facilities were established, the November 10, 1972, the airbus system received overall transportation system could be initiated. widespread and beneficial review. These discussions For example, on a somewhat idealized schedule, an resulted in the following recommendation: LC-130 of the United States program could operate among major antarctic terminals as shown in table Recommendation \ll-S Cooperation in Transport Table I. Aviation assets available to antarciric expeditions. The Representatives, Argentina 2 Navy helicopters Recognizing that the relative inaccessability of many 2 Air Force helicopters regions of the Antarctic Treaty Area creates
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