Grandmother Goes Down at the Pole

On Mon, 22 Dec 2003 08:49:56 +1300, Mainlander *@*.* wrote:

In article ,
says...


Bruce Hamilton wrote:
Cub Driver wrote:


It's getting awfully crowded down there (or up there, in terms of
latitude). No wonder the folks at McMurdo were so unfriendly to the
Kiwi who dropped in without enough fuel to reach his destination.


Just to help your understanding of global political dynamics, the West Island
of New Zealand is where the pilot originated, and both the NZ and US base
refused to provide Avgas because:-

1. They didn't have any, and didn't want to give him Mogas.

2. He didn't seek advance permission to land at McMurdo ( as required ),
probably correctly assuming they would reject it, given his inadequate
planning.

3. He didn't organise logistic or search and rescue support in advance or take
notice of Antarctic station guidances - as did the British pilot who gave
him some of her contingency, as her well-planned expedition had been been
deferred.

4. He apparently wasn't carrying enough fuel for his stated objected, so
always intended to scavenge several hundred litres of fuel from a base. He
radioed the base on his southward journey saying he didn't have enough fuel,
but continued onto the point of no return and the South Pole anyway.

Once again another armchair quarterback that does not know what they are talking
about.

Referring to yourself are you?

Mr Hamilton's post is the best summary of the facts I have seen.

Antarctic flying conditions are so unpredictable that it is not unusual
for planes to have to fly all the way down and all the way back without
landing if the weather closes in in the few hours that it takes to fly
out of Christchurch.


The LC-130's have a PSR of approx 4 hrs out from CHC.
At that time, they must commit or return.

I am very aware of one instance where one was past PSR and declared an
emergency. Mac Tower said return to CHC as they could not handle it.
Rapid calculations were made and it was found they barely had enough
fuel to reach NZ.

As it turned out, the pilot, also the CO of VXE-6 at the time, had
enough fuel to make one only shot at landing at Dunedin's Momona
Airport. The FE. a family friend, after the flight returned to CHC
said in all his years of flying, which included that year being his
approx 8th Antarctic season, he'd never had such a close shave.

What saved their bacon was the CO had taken part in an exchange
programme with the RNZAF and had flown into Momona several times in
Kiwi C-130's so he knew the approach etc.

I was at the hanger waiting with the men and women of 6 waiting for
this flight to make it back to NZ as my fiance was on this flight .
We all knew there was the risk of ditching.

For those that remember the mid-winter mail drops, the C-141-B's on
the Pole run were refuelled three times in mid-air by a KC-10.

I've known many pilots that have served in 6 and the USAF. None will
tell you it's a breeze flying the Antarctic route.

Some may remember the crash when a JATO bottle wrenched loose on
takeoff and the subsequent crash of the plane that went in to rescue
to the original crew. [I think I still have the photos of this
somewhere].
Then the crash of a further plane that went in a few years later - a
flight several friends died or were badly injured in.

Cath