A Snow Runway for Supporting Wheeled Aircraft: Phoenix Airfield, McMurdo, Antarctica
Abstract
Historically, there has been a system of as many as three airfields operated at McMurdo, Antarctica, to transport cargo and personnel to and from the continent via ski-equipped and wheeled aircraft. Owing to the runways being founded on snow and ice, there is a constant need to adapt the airfield system to accommodate changing environmental conditions while still meeting program needs. This report provides an overview of the implementation of a new airfield to support landing wheeled aircraft that replaces the Pegasus Airfield that was founded on the superimposed glacial ice layer on the McMurdo Ice Shelf in the McMurdo Sound. The new airfield is located approximately 5 km (3 miles) east and up shelf from the former Pegasus Airfield and is the first runway constructed on compacted snow that supports a wheeled aircraft as large as a C-17. Herein we document the design, construction, and commissioning of the new airfield. Also provided in this report are recommendations for maintenance and monitoring to prolong the life of the airfield and to determine when operations need to be suspended due to warm weather.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1073325
Entities
People
- George L. Blaisdell
- Robert B. Haehnel
- Sally Shoop
- Terry Melendy
- Zoe Courville
Organizations
- Engineer Research and Development Center