Hawke Huts - Antarctica

[Remark810]

See the ABC reporting some new huts at Wilkins in Antarctica.....

Hawke honoured for Antarctic mining fight - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

"And a new accommodation building at Wilkins runway in Antarctica will become the R J L Hawke accommodation, although Mr Garrett predicted it would quickly become known as Hawke's Huts". Not that Bob did a lot for aviation......!!

Anyone know how much flying the aircraft going to and from Antarctica gets now? Whats the conditions like?

[SeldomFixit]

The only heart cold enough to survive the conditions.

[Bullethead]

Anyone know how much flying the aircraft going to and from Antarctica gets now? Whats the conditions like?

Our friend Compressor Stall is down in that neighbourhood at the moment and he flies the A319 and the CASA 212s. When he gets some time off and access to a net connection I'm sure he will inform us.

Hope you're having a great time down south mate!

Regards.

[UnderneathTheRadar]

Mawson's hut

On a related topic, Tyabb pilot Tony Stewart is spending summer with the Mawson's Huts Foundations expedition to the original Mawson's hut site.

A team of volunteers, they will spend the summer in tents researching and restoring Mawson's hut.

Tony is really keen to find the remains of the aircraft which was brought to Antartica in the early 1900's but never flew - it spend it's life as a air tractor hauling loads across the ice. Pretty cool 'eh!

Last year they narrowed down where it most likely is, this year they hope to dig and find it.

For more info:

Mawson's Huts Foundation Expedition Blog


UTR

[Jet_A_Knight]

Maybe they can call the walkway to it '29% Avenue'.

[Tinstaafl]

The pathway between the new huts could be called 'Busdriver's Ave'

[Remark810]

Thanks Bullethead - look forward to hearing from Compressor Stall - saw just the other day that the A319 had started flights again and that its planned to finish in mid Feb - a pretty short flying period - what do you do the other 9 and half months?

[teresa green]

Thankyou. As a 89er you have just ruined my day.

[Pinky the pilot]

If they put up a sign on the huts with Hawkey's name on it I suppose we could just ask Stallie to quietly remove it sometime and maybe throw it down the nearest crevasse!

[Transition Layer]

Maybe with the accommodation Qantas can now use Wilkins as an alternate for the Sydney-Buenos Aires flight?

Does it sleep 350 or so people?

[Red Jet]

Maybe with the accommodation Qantas can now use Wilkins as an alternate for the Sydney-Buenos Aires flight?

Casey is pretty much located due south of Perth, and of not much use as an enroute alternate on the SYD-EZE track. It is also only useable for about 4(5 at a stretch) months a year. It'd be good work for the Skytraders boys though, to repatriate 350 or so intrepid Antarctic explorers dressed in the obligatory boardshorts and thongs!!

[Bullethead]

Maybe with the accommodation Qantas can now use Wilkins as an alternate for the Sydney-Buenos Aires flight?

Also it's about 1800nms off the direct SYD-EZE track and as Red Jet says due south of Perth which makes CHC a whole lot closer.

It's somewhere between CHC and EZE that's the worry.

Regards,
BH.

[Transition Layer]

Cheers fellas, might be a good time for me to have to have a closer look at the QF briefing package as I have an EZE trip coming up. The Wilkins/Casey ice runway (and co-ordinates/elevation/approach type) was mentioned in a recent company order though.

My comment was only really tongue-in-cheek anyway

[iainkerr]

Mawson's Hut aircraft

For info, the seat of Mawson's aircraft was found and identified last summer - I have some pics of it. The ice coverage/melt changes a little each year and the seat was exposed amongst some rocks at Boat Harbour where people land for Mawson's Hut. Capt John Dennis of Qantas overflights was also on the ground there when the seat was found. The probability is that the rest of the aircraft has been carried into the sea by the wind and ice movement - but good luck to the search.