Ice Runway

McMurdo Station and the depth and extent of scientific research in Antarctica, is made possible by the use of airplane. There are two different airplanes which service McMurdo. These planes are flown down here and operated by the Air National Guard of New York. They are C-17's, and ski equipped C-130 Hercules. The C-17's simply fly back and forth between the station and Christchurch. They fly all personnel down, as well as lots of lots of supplies and equipment...including but not limited to mail and fresh fruits and veggies. Whereas the C-130's mainly fly between McMurdo and the South Pole Station as well as to various 'field camps.'

Both planes used to land at the Ice Runway just outside of town. You can see the Ice Runway in an early picture from the top of Ob Hill. However, in early December the ice began becoming unstable, as it does every year around that time, and the runway was then moved further away from town to more stable ice. The different planes now use two different runways.

In oder to keep the runways open and the plains in the air, there is a large crew that works at the runways. Well, it just so happens that they like to eat as well, and so what we do is we load up a truck with food from the main galley, and we drive it down to the runway galley where we serve the various workers down there.

It is a pretty good gig. I enjoy the chance to get out of the main galley for awhile, and to get to ride around in a pick up truck. It generally takes about 40-50 minutes to get to the ice runway, now that it has been moved further away from the station.

One really fun part for me, was that I had the opportunity to do some 4X4'ing (aka mudbogging in the snow) once or twice. When we have warm days, above freezing, the snow at the transition gets really sloppy and slushy. The transition is where the road leaves the land and transitions onto the sea ice. It was a good time. All I was missing was a dog and a shotgun.

The two big vehicles on tracks that you see are Fire vehicles. The Truck with the big whit box on the back of it, is what we drive back and forth between town and the runway. The little orange building we are backed up to is the runway galley.