vehicle may still be tricky, but once in place, it
would be efficient to shift multiple pallets onto or
When aircraft arrive at the runway, our prac-
out from the aircraft.
tice is to have them taxi northward on the east
We strongly encourage the use of rubber-tired
side of the runway, enter the ramp area, and make
vehicles for cargo and passenger movement while
a 180 turn at about the 1100-ft mark. The air-
on the runway. In some cases this may require
craft then taxi southward along the west side of
that the vehicle is brought to the site on a sled.
the ramp area and park adjacent to the fuel tank
The disadvantage of tracked vehicles are their
(starboard wing tip approximately even with the
less refined directional controls (critical when
west edge of the ramp; Fig. 82). Our aircraft, the
aligning pallets with typical aircraft deck rail sys-
C-130, LC-130, and C-141, have fuel ports along
tems), their aggressive grousers that cause dam-
the starboard side just aft of the main landing
age to the ice, their rough ride (potential damage
gear. After completion of fueling and passenger
to sensitive cargo), and the greater amount of
and cargo shifts, performed at this parking spot,
contaminants generally associated with their op-
the aircraft taxi to the center of the runway at the
eration (lubricant drips and dirt, ice, and soiled
0-ft threshold in preparation for takeoff.
snow deposits).
Operations at the Pegasus runway generally
A "hold line" (flag line) has been established
involve fueling, loading, and unloading of cargo
on the snow road about 180 m (600 ft) short of the
and passengers. Only after the fuel and cargo
ramp area preceding the runway threshold (Fig.
have been secured are passengers allowed onto
82). When aircraft using Pegasus are in the vicin-
the ramp area. When scheduling is perfect, the
ity, access beyond this line requires ground con-
passengers arrive in busses from McMurdo and
trol permission. The ground controller usually
Williams Field just as fueling and cargo loading
assumes a position somewhere between the hold
have been completed. Otherwise, the passengers
line and the edge of the ramp area. Passenger and
wait in the Pegasus terminal building. When the
cargo transporters coordinate with the ground
aircraft is ready, the busses used to transport per-
controller to access the ramp and aircraft.
sonnel from McMurdo to the Pegasus site to take
passengers onto the ramp and park about 30 m
(100 ft) off the aircraft's port side slightly ahead of
AIRCRAFT PARKING
the nose. Passengers, and their hand-carry bags,
approach and enter the aircraft from the forward
We operate the Pegasus runway as a "turn-
crew door on the port side in groups of four.
around flight" facility; aircraft at Pegasus are
Cargo loading procedures are a function of the
rarely on-deck longer than 2 hours, often it is less
payload, its packaging, the aircraft type, and the
than one hour. This limits contamination from
standard operating procedures of the air crew.
aircraft and support equipment. Aircraft using
All of the aircraft visiting the Pegasus runway
the runway originate from New Zealand (princi-
accept large cargo through a rear ramp and door
pally passenger flights) and from Williams Field
arrangement. The USAP principally uses stan-
(principally cargo flights to South Pole).
dard U.S. Air Force aircraft pallets to shift cargo.
Effective use of aircraft resources at some sites
Loads may be secured to the pallet by netting,
will require parking. When this is required, we
banding, or wood frames. We utilize rubber-tire
advocate that aircraft be parked well off the run-
loaders such as the Caterpillar 950 and IT-28 mod-
way in a segment of the ramp that can be aban-
els (Fig. 20) to move the pallets, one at a time, into
doned at some future time if it becomes overly
and out of the aircraft. This is typically an ineffi-
contaminated, without impact to the runway it-
cient procedure, since the fine control and visibil-
self. A thin snow cover in the area of parking will
ity desired when working close to aircraft are not
assist in cleanup of aircraft fluid drips, soot asso-
present on such construction vehicles. However,
ciated with engine start-up and warm-up, and
using ground guides and aircraft platform spot-
preservation of the ice.
ters, the job is accomplished routinely without
Should parking be required for longer than a
incident. Consideration is being given to construct-
24-hour period, some consideration should be
ing a minimally adjustable rigid sled that could
given to localized warming of the ice due to the
hold up to five pallets in a line. Maneuvering this
presence of the large metal mass and to pressure
sled into position behind the aircraft with a pusher
melting of the tires into the ice. Neither of these
86
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