Jack F. Paulus Skiway

The Jack F. Paulus Skiway (ICAO: NZSP) is an airport located at Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station at the South Pole.

Jack F. Paulus Skiway
The South Pole cargo crew unloads passengers from an LC-130. In order to prevent lubricating oil, hydraulic fluids and fuel from freezing, the engines are kept running while the plane is on the ground.
Summary
ServesAmundsen–Scott South Pole Station
LocationSouth Pole, Antarctica
Elevation AMSL9,300 ft / 2,835 m
Coordinates89°59′22″S 1°0′0″W
Map
Jack F. Paulus Skiway
Location of airfield in Antarctica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
02/20 12,000 3,658 Snow

The station has a runway for aircraft, 3658 m / 12000 ft long. Between October and February, there are several flights per week of ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft from McMurdo Station to supply the station. Additionally, Kenn Borek Air Twin Otters and DC-3s visit the base in support of science and logistics. Resupply missions are collectively termed Operation Deep Freeze.

Dimensional cargo capacity of the Hercules aircraft must be considered for all of the station's logistical support. Large scientific experiments and structures such as the new station are broken down into modular pieces and reassembled on-site. Limitations and cost of the Hercules aircraft have been cited by the National Science Foundation as one of the main reasons for the McMurdo–South Pole traverse over-ice ground supply route.

Etymology

Jack F. Paulus was a pilot who had nine deployments in Antarctica between 1969 and 1981.[1]

See also

References
  1. "The Jack Paulus Skiway". South Pole Station. Retrieved 24 April 2020.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.