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Aviation Forum / Country Specific / Australian Group / September 2008Pilot makes first NVG Antarctic landing
From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in the dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that could lead to more supply flights to scientific bases in the frozen continent during its dark winter months, officials said Friday. The C-17 Globemaster cargo airplane landed in a driving snowstorm on the 10-kilometer (six mile) ice runway at the U.S. Antarctic research center at McMurdo Station, after months of practice runs by pilots using the goggles. The Air Force plane took off from Christchurch, New Zealand, and flew nearly six hours before landing Thursday night. It returned to Christchurch early Friday. Air Force Lt. Col. Jim McGann said the airplane's own lights -- reflecting off of traffic cones -- allowed it to land without electrical runway lights that are too hard to maintain in the frozen environment. McGann told New Zealand's national radio that the breakthrough flight could mean year-round supply flights for U.S. and New Zealand science bases on the ice. Traditionally, the onset of the southern hemisphere winter in Antarctica ends flights to the frozen continent for six months as the sun sinks below the horizon. "At the moment, we make that last trip in February and then don't come back until August," McGann said. "If we can go in and out a couple of times a month, we can go and get people out or drop more people off." The head of the New Zealand government's Antarctic research body, Lou Sanson, told The Associated Press that the flight was a technological achievement that would allow the U.S. Air Force to operate virtually around-the-clock on the harshest continent on Earth. "I think the most significant advantage is medical evacuation," he said. At least three major medical evacuations have been carried out from Antarctic bases in recent years, including an emergency flight for a U.S. doctor at the South Pole who had developed breast cancer. Sanson said the night-flight breakthrough also opens new opportunities for research. "If we look ahead 10 years, it may offer important new opportunities for winter science, be it the study of sea life growth or emperor penguins in winter -- it gives the ability to put scientists into there for a short time rather than the whole winter," he said >Air Force Lt. Col. Jim McGann said the airplane's own lights -- >reflecting off of traffic cones -- allowed it to land without electrical >runway lights that are too hard to maintain in the frozen environment. You would think that they could just use retro reflectors, rather than go the NVG route. >> Air Force Lt. Col. Jim McGann said the airplane's own lights -- >> reflecting off of traffic cones -- allowed it to land without electrical >> runway lights that are too hard to maintain in the frozen environment. > > You would think that they could just use retro reflectors, rather than > go the NVG route. Good point - actually CNNs "traffic cones" - dumbed down to witches hats in the minds of it's natural audience, were in fact retro reflective cones. "Major Corey Simmons, the pilot, was ecstatic that he and his crew were the first people in aviation history to land on the Antarctic continent at night. "We just did the first NVG (Night Vision) landing on Pegasus using retro reflective cones that we have been testing for about 18 months or so," said Simmons." "It was actually pretty challenging & with some heavy snow, so when we first extended the lights out into the environment it's probably like you've seen snow at night with your car and your high beams on and it's come at yah .. well that was coming at us, except at 180 miles an hour," says Pilot Lieutenant-Colonel Jim McGann. But the four hour flight in the end was smooth and the 20 pilots onboard were all given a chance to see how the winter flights will work. "The goggles were fantastic, the outline and runway were perfectly clear we could see it from three miles, rolled right in picture perfect landing," says McGann. Above quotes from NZ TV which also has footage of the NVG view. Ned >>> Air Force Lt. Col. Jim McGann said the airplane's own lights -- >>> reflecting off of traffic cones -- allowed it to land without electrical [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] >Good point - actually CNNs "traffic cones" - dumbed down to witches hats >in the minds of it's natural audience, were in fact retro reflective cones. I had thought they were talking about standard runway marker cones. I'm guessing that it was retro reflective "tape" on runway markers if they still needed NVG at three miles. Corner cube type retro reflectors in a reflector package are much brighter and are visible to the naked eye at 3 miles with typical lighting. But I suppose the NVG would also give them the benefit of a horizon. I'm sure they have their reasons for doing it the way that they have. > From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in the > dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that could lead [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > at McMurdo Station, after months of practice runs by pilots using the > goggles. Can NVG's see through a driving snow storm? Graham >> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in the >> dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that could [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Graham Good question. And with the aircraft's landing lights on, the amount of reflected light from the snow-flakes would normally overwhelm the goggles. I know from personal experience that NVGs aren't that great when using them in heavy rain and active illumination.  Signature"Those who beat their swords into ploughshares will plough for those who didn't". >>> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in >>> the dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > I know from personal experience that NVGs aren't that great when using > them in heavy rain and active illumination. Which was pretty much what I was thinking. Graham >>>> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in >>>> the dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Graham High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job quite well without having to worry about the reflected active illumination from the main landing lights, in conjunction with IR reflectors (as used on the back of most military vehicles in night time full tactical situations) would finish the job, Hell I have been doing some experiments with IR stuff for the last couple of months, and it would seem pretty trivial (and I can get my pissy little civilian grade high intensity IR's to project for at least 100 meters with a decent reflector) so for the guys in the military who have been working with this stuff for decades it should be a relative walk in the (dark)park :-) SignatureGod made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom? > >>>> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in > >>>> the dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > of most military vehicles in night time full tactical situations) would > finish the job, "Hell I have been doing some experiments with IR stuff for the last couple of months, and it would seem pretty trivial" http://www.wunderground.com/global/stations/89009.html MILspec goes to -40. I had a freezer to test electronics that went lower, wires shatter, metal brittles. You'll need to extend your specs to -120F. Ken >> >>>> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica >> >>>> in [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > to extend your specs to -120F. > Ken your also assuming that the de-icing on the AC is turned off ?? SignatureGod made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom? ... > >> High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job quite well > >> without having to worry about the reflected active illumination from the [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > your also assuming that the de-icing on the AC is turned off ?? :-), you can email the A-S base and ask them, maybe you have good idea! -- > God made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom? LOL Ken > ... >> >> High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job quite [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > LOL > Ken I only asked because the de-icing could also be used to keep the IR's warm enough to work in hostile conditions :-) Not having anything to do with MIL spec stuff in decades (and only having discussions with a mate who has recently retired from the US military, who's professional purview was all things IR and thermo [and only things of a distinctly NON military nature]) I might just put this too him as he now works for a military contractor, you never know it might just work :-) SignatureGod made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom? > > ... > >> >> High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job quite [quoted text clipped - 34 lines] > I might just put this too him as he now works for a military contractor, you > never know it might just work :-) Some people in the A-S station keep blogs, that I occasionally read, very interesting stuff, and they have email addresses. IIRC metal embittlement is a problem, so they need use the right alloys and so forth. Ken >> > ... >> >> >> High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job [quoted text clipped - 47 lines] > so forth. > Ken care to share a URL or two :-) SignatureGod made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom? > >> > ... > >> >> >> High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > care to share a URL or two :-) Ask this guy, he might know of some, http://www.southpolestation.com/ >> >> > ... >> >> >> >> High intensity IR LED's in the landing lights would do the job [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] > Ask this guy, he might know of some, > http://www.southpolestation.com/ sweet, thanks :-) SignatureGod made me an atheist. Who are you to question his wisdom? > "Ken S. Tucker" <dynamics@vianet.on.ca> wrote in message >>> care to share a URL or two :-) >> >> Ask this guy, he might know of some, >> http://www.southpolestation.com/ Polar webcams? I LOVE webcms! Thank you! >> From CNN - A U.S. Air Force pilot has landed a plane in Antarctica in the >> dark for the first time using night-vision goggles, a feat that could lead [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Graham Antarctica gets very little snow which makes me wonder what CNN's definition of blizzard would be. Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired > Antarctica gets very little snow which makes me wonder what CNN's > definition of blizzard would be. Three snowflakes. > Antarctica gets very little snow which makes me wonder what CNN's > definition of blizzard would be. Have a look at any of the cameras on the ice during a storm. Most of the snow comes in horizontally >> Antarctica gets very little snow which makes me wonder what CNN's >> definition of blizzard would be. > > Have a look at any of the cameras on the ice during a storm. > Most of the snow comes in horizontally That's windblown ice. Antarctica's airmass is very dry, very little snowfall. Most of the place has had about 20 centimeters of snow over the past 50 years. Snow or ice can be blinding no matter the direction. Dan, U.S. Air Force, retired >>> Antarctica gets very little snow which makes me wonder what CNN's >>> definition of blizzard would be. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > snowfall. Most of the place has had about 20 centimeters of snow over the > past 50 years. True on average of course but the coastal regions get around 40cm while the plateau gets 5cm or so. Keith |
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