Prospector,
Then why have an INS nav track that means the DC10 will be practically overhead the radar before it picks up the aircraft and VHF contact is possible...? The Byrd reporting point was the logical waypoint.
The entire Antarctic sightseeing flights were ill thought out. One of my former colleagues nearly lost his 742 over Indonesia, and he had about 30,000 ft clearance to an active volcano.
The descent without radar coverage was ill-considered, in my opinion, if not objected to by USN ATC.
PIC thought he had VMC - did he?
WW