Where a Twotter goes even ...
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I first started flying back in 01 when KBA made the initial polar rescue. After watching it on TV I knew I just had to fly for these guys and I eventually did. My years there were the best of my career so far and there are times like now when I wish I could go back.
Allow me to share what I know about their operation and this trip in particular.
The twin otter is the best aircraft for this task. The USAF C-130 is only capable of operating from a groomed skiway, whereas a ski equipped twotter can theoretically be put down anywhere. That being said I imagine the main reason is cost. With a C130 burning somewhere around 4,000 lbs of fuel an hour I can't begin to imagine how much it would cost to fill up at the most expensive gas station on the planet.
The twin will be flown with two internal ferry tanks providing an additional 5,000 lbs of fuel and yielding a total endurance of 10-12 hours. I say 10-12 because the fuel burn varied between 600-700 depending on the machine. The flight from Rothera to Pole is 1,300nm and travelling at 150kts on paper it will take 9 hours. However, the winds coming down from the polar plateau can be strong (50-100kts) and extend for hundreds of miles. I imagine the boys will probably put on an additional drum or two of granny gas if they can afford the room.
There are no cold weather limits for the Twin Otters at KBA. That being said the temperatures that they will be operating at are on the extreme end of what they normally deal with. The severe cold has a tendency to accelerate the failure of any aircraft components with an underlying weakness. Once you get below -40 and into the 50's it's important to baby the aircraft in all ways possible. The engines, battery, and avionics require special care of course. But so do the lesser items like the ski bungees, fuel caps, and door handles. Any of which can easily break without much effort at all.
On arrival, once the aircraft comes to a stop it will be immediately frozen in place. Normally, knocking the skis and twisting the throttles will be enough to wiggle yourself loose but at ferry weight she will most certainly need a tug from a tractor to break free. Another interesting phenomenon at these extremes is ski friction. Normally the weight of the ski on snow melts a small layer into water which allows you to slide along. But at these temperatures that doesn't always happen, especially at low speed like taxing. The friction of the snow now becomes similar to sand. As a result gaining any sort of momentum can be quite challenging. Thankfully they have 12,000ft of groomed skiway to play with.
They most likely won't be on the ground for long. Starboard engine will be kept running to power the tip tank fuel pumps and keep the battery above board. Some hot fuel, wx check, and load'em up. They'll have tailwinds for the return trip but it will be no less challenging. Fatigue will become a factor. As will enroute icing around the coast and the ever present possibility of the weather going down at Rothera.
Plenty of factors to account for on a mission like this. I wish them all the best!!
Allow me to share what I know about their operation and this trip in particular.
The twin otter is the best aircraft for this task. The USAF C-130 is only capable of operating from a groomed skiway, whereas a ski equipped twotter can theoretically be put down anywhere. That being said I imagine the main reason is cost. With a C130 burning somewhere around 4,000 lbs of fuel an hour I can't begin to imagine how much it would cost to fill up at the most expensive gas station on the planet.
The twin will be flown with two internal ferry tanks providing an additional 5,000 lbs of fuel and yielding a total endurance of 10-12 hours. I say 10-12 because the fuel burn varied between 600-700 depending on the machine. The flight from Rothera to Pole is 1,300nm and travelling at 150kts on paper it will take 9 hours. However, the winds coming down from the polar plateau can be strong (50-100kts) and extend for hundreds of miles. I imagine the boys will probably put on an additional drum or two of granny gas if they can afford the room.
There are no cold weather limits for the Twin Otters at KBA. That being said the temperatures that they will be operating at are on the extreme end of what they normally deal with. The severe cold has a tendency to accelerate the failure of any aircraft components with an underlying weakness. Once you get below -40 and into the 50's it's important to baby the aircraft in all ways possible. The engines, battery, and avionics require special care of course. But so do the lesser items like the ski bungees, fuel caps, and door handles. Any of which can easily break without much effort at all.
On arrival, once the aircraft comes to a stop it will be immediately frozen in place. Normally, knocking the skis and twisting the throttles will be enough to wiggle yourself loose but at ferry weight she will most certainly need a tug from a tractor to break free. Another interesting phenomenon at these extremes is ski friction. Normally the weight of the ski on snow melts a small layer into water which allows you to slide along. But at these temperatures that doesn't always happen, especially at low speed like taxing. The friction of the snow now becomes similar to sand. As a result gaining any sort of momentum can be quite challenging. Thankfully they have 12,000ft of groomed skiway to play with.
They most likely won't be on the ground for long. Starboard engine will be kept running to power the tip tank fuel pumps and keep the battery above board. Some hot fuel, wx check, and load'em up. They'll have tailwinds for the return trip but it will be no less challenging. Fatigue will become a factor. As will enroute icing around the coast and the ever present possibility of the weather going down at Rothera.
Plenty of factors to account for on a mission like this. I wish them all the best!!
Last edited by Mr. North; 21st Jun 2016 at 03:38.
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When does jet fuel need to be heated and if heated fuel is uploaded into the belly tanks, does it retain much of its heat cause its below the heated cabin floor?
Does the wing fuel in C130 really retain useful heat exposed to those temps and insulated with a wing skin?
Also wondering if there's an approach aid into the strip @ the South
Pole or just WAAS GPS. Navigating that far south must be tricky? Is it as simple as plugging in a waypoint?
Does anyone know what other unique prep both aircraft get prior to departure?
Do they spend their summers in Antarctica?
Bunch of questions but Im fascinated..................thanks
Does the wing fuel in C130 really retain useful heat exposed to those temps and insulated with a wing skin?
Also wondering if there's an approach aid into the strip @ the South
Pole or just WAAS GPS. Navigating that far south must be tricky? Is it as simple as plugging in a waypoint?
Does anyone know what other unique prep both aircraft get prior to departure?
Do they spend their summers in Antarctica?
Bunch of questions but Im fascinated..................thanks
Didn't the evac of the Doctor in 2001-ish involve an overnight at SP Station? I didn't know they did the whole trip in one go. I did get brief on the C-141 airdrop that year.
Didn't the evac of the Doctor in 2001-ish involve an overnight at SP Station?
Coincidentally, both medical cases involved gallstones (plus other complications).
Last edited by Ant T; 19th Jun 2016 at 17:19.
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Not without risk.
Three Canadians from Kenn Borek Air died in January 2013 during an Antarctic flight when their plane crashed into a steep slope on the Queen Alexandra mountain range.
The crew were flying from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station while delivering fuel for an Italian research team when the accident occurred.
The crew were flying from the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station while delivering fuel for an Italian research team when the accident occurred.
The planes are in Punta Arenas, Peru, awaiting favorable weather to fly to the British Antarctic Survey Station at Rothera.
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/total-d...sion-1.2952179
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/total-d...sion-1.2952179
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Three Canadians from Kenn Borek Air died in January 2013 during an Antarctic flight when their plane crashed into a steep slope on the Queen Alexandra mountain range.
The crew were flying from the Amundsen-Scott South
Pole Station while delivering fuel for an Italian research team when the accident occurred.
The crew were flying from the Amundsen-Scott South
Pole Station while delivering fuel for an Italian research team when the accident occurred.
Compressor Stall, do as you wish.
However I happily take Bens point that numerous media outlets are running with headlines such as
>'Total darkness': Calgary planes fly to South Pole for risky rescue <
whilst in reality the place is not actually in total darkness ATM. This is nicely demonstrated here:
The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - South Pole Station Webcams or here: ESRL Global Monitoring Division - South Pole Observatory
Of course if the moon is obscured by a heavy overcast on the day it might be a different story.
However I happily take Bens point that numerous media outlets are running with headlines such as
>'Total darkness': Calgary planes fly to South Pole for risky rescue <
whilst in reality the place is not actually in total darkness ATM. This is nicely demonstrated here:
The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - South Pole Station Webcams or here: ESRL Global Monitoring Division - South Pole Observatory
Of course if the moon is obscured by a heavy overcast on the day it might be a different story.
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G-CPTN
AFAIK Twotters are not NVG configured, ie. the cockpit lighting would swamp the goggles sensors. Aside from law enforcement ac I'm not sure any civil aviation has NVG compatible cockpits.
Whilst doing spotter duties on CC130's we had to place tape over the emergency flashlight mounted on the wall (this was in the back, near the jump doors) as the tiny red charging indicator would cause issues with our NVG's.
Cheers from CYZX.
AFAIK Twotters are not NVG configured, ie. the cockpit lighting would swamp the goggles sensors. Aside from law enforcement ac I'm not sure any civil aviation has NVG compatible cockpits.
Whilst doing spotter duties on CC130's we had to place tape over the emergency flashlight mounted on the wall (this was in the back, near the jump doors) as the tiny red charging indicator would cause issues with our NVG's.
Cheers from CYZX.
For anyone who might be interested, charts for Rothera, where the Twin Otters will be heading as soon as weather permits, from Punta Arenas (in Chile, Matelo, not Peru....)
https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/upl...era_010113.pdf
The GNSS approach is new since I was last there, (2009).
The normal flying season starts in early October and runs to early March. I did two winter flights into Rothera, in the Dash 7, one after a fatality on the base, and the other for a person with a collapsed lung. Both were in August, when there were a few hours of daylight each day, but on the first one, we were lucky to get in, as the weather deteriorated significantly after we had passed PNR and we landed with about 2000m in blowing snow.
The 2013 KBA accident happened in the transantarctic mountains, which go up to almost 15,000'. The normal route between Rothera and Pole threads its way between King George Island and the peninsula, and then over fairly featureless plateau for most of the rest of the route.
Ref. the iceberg accident at Rothera in 1994 - that is a persistent hazard at Rothera, the deep water at both ends of the runway allows bergs to float past very close. When the sea is not frozen, they tend to move on fairly quickly, but some winters they can get caught in place, and make for some interesting approaches.
(Just noticed, the aerial photo of the runway on page 8 of the approach info linked above, shows a good example, with a couple of icebergs frozen into the sea on short final to RW 18)
https://www.bas.ac.uk/wp-content/upl...era_010113.pdf
The GNSS approach is new since I was last there, (2009).
The normal flying season starts in early October and runs to early March. I did two winter flights into Rothera, in the Dash 7, one after a fatality on the base, and the other for a person with a collapsed lung. Both were in August, when there were a few hours of daylight each day, but on the first one, we were lucky to get in, as the weather deteriorated significantly after we had passed PNR and we landed with about 2000m in blowing snow.
The 2013 KBA accident happened in the transantarctic mountains, which go up to almost 15,000'. The normal route between Rothera and Pole threads its way between King George Island and the peninsula, and then over fairly featureless plateau for most of the rest of the route.
Ref. the iceberg accident at Rothera in 1994 - that is a persistent hazard at Rothera, the deep water at both ends of the runway allows bergs to float past very close. When the sea is not frozen, they tend to move on fairly quickly, but some winters they can get caught in place, and make for some interesting approaches.
(Just noticed, the aerial photo of the runway on page 8 of the approach info linked above, shows a good example, with a couple of icebergs frozen into the sea on short final to RW 18)
Last edited by Ant T; 20th Jun 2016 at 12:45.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Over a relatively flat, monochrome white land, under a relatively uniformly black sky, where do NVGs come in? I suppose they would pick up the landing area quicker, but that would be all.
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In my 45 years of airline flying. (Retired last Nov) I had the pleasure of flying with two Antarctic pilots. (L & N) this was before they went "south" I have to say they were both proberbly the best pilots who I had the pleasure of sharing a cockpit with.
Respect!
Respect!
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Compressor Stall, do as you wish.
However I happily take Bens point that numerous media outlets are running with headlines such as
>'Total darkness': Calgary planes fly to South Pole for risky rescue <
whilst in reality the place is not actually in total darkness ATM. This is nicely demonstrated here:
The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - South Pole Station Webcams or here: ESRL Global Monitoring Division - South Pole Observatory
Of course if the moon is obscured by a heavy overcast on the day it might be a different story.
However I happily take Bens point that numerous media outlets are running with headlines such as
>'Total darkness': Calgary planes fly to South Pole for risky rescue <
whilst in reality the place is not actually in total darkness ATM. This is nicely demonstrated here:
The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - South Pole Station Webcams or here: ESRL Global Monitoring Division - South Pole Observatory
Of course if the moon is obscured by a heavy overcast on the day it might be a different story.
Fascinating!
