Mill Glacier (Plunket Point)
 NSF chartered Twin Otter on deck on wheels at Plunket Point, January 1989 [from "Airfields on Antarctic Glacier Ice" by Malcolm Mellor and Charles
Swithinbank, CRREL Report 89-21, 1989 full report (PDF)]
Merits 2. High probability of finding ice runway 3840 x 60 m (12,600 x 200 ft) with maximum longitudinal grade not exceeding 1.5% and maximum transverse grade not exceeding 1%. 3. Runways are aligned into the prevailing wind and have clear approaches (1:50 glide slope) and clear climb-out path (1:50). 4. Although the surface would be improved by planing to facilitate smooth landings and take-offs, the natural microrelief may be within the landing-gear tolerance of C-130, C-141, and CUB aircraft 5. The runway adjoins a vast area of ice- and snow-free desert on which permanent structures could be erected. Access between desert and icefield is suitable for ordinary wheeled vehicles. 6. Crevasse-free route available for surface travel to South Pole (300 miles). 7. Adds nothing to round-trip distance McMurdo-South Pole. 8. Runway is perpendicular (in grid terms) to the long runway at Mt. Howe, so could prove a useful alternate under high wind conditions. Drawbacks 1. The site is 140 miles farther from South Pole than Mt Howe. 2. The runway has a significantly greater slope than the Mt Howe runways.
Charles Swithinbank (back to the blue ice runway page) |