Williams Field
Annual Ice Runway
Hut Point Peninsula
Figure 2. Satellite image of McMurdo and Scott Base (New Zealand) located on the tip of Hut Point
Peninsula, the annual sea ice runway complex (center), Williams Field skiway (top), Pegasus glacial
ice runway (lower right), and the snow roads connecting these sites. (SPOT HRV image ID
30445569412011812251P 1994 CNES, Licensed by SPOT Image Corporation, Reston, Virginia.)
cilities including fuel. Mellor's reports (Mellor
In this report the specific techniques and equip-
1988, 1993) provide an excellent starting point for
ment used in the case of the Pegasus runway are
much of this information. The Antarctic Flight
fully described to provide an example and to al-
Information Manual (AFIM) is another valuable
low this document to act as a resource in the long-
resource*. In the McMurdo area, the Air Opera-
term management of the Pegasus runway at
tions Manual CNSFAINST 3710.2L, published by
McMurdo. In addition, we deal almost exclusively
the Commander, Naval Support Force Antarc-
with issues on the ground at the site of a glacial
tica, is an important source of information†.
ice runway. Anyone seriously interested in Ant-
arctic air operations will need to become familiar
with matters such as weather maps and forecast-
*Available from the COMNAP Secretariat, c/o American Geo-
physical Union, 2000 Florida Avenue, Washington, D.C.,
ing, navigation and radio communication, tem-
20009-1277.
perate world departure points and ports of entry
†Available from Office of Polar Programs, National Science
in Antarctica, suitable aircraft types, Antarctic
Foundation, 4201 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Virginia,
flight conventions, and existing runways and fa-
22230.
3
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