AFPN News report on South Pole Air Drop
Chris Weddle
-- http://www.af.mil/news/Jul1999/n19990709_991318.html
991318. Crew scrambles to deliver medical supplies to South Pole
McCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. (AFPN) -- A combined Air Force Reserve Command
and active-duty aircrew from here left at about 10 a.m. July 8 on a unique
mission to airdrop medical supplies to the South Pole. The medical supplies
are needed for a 47-year-old American woman, employed by Antarctic Support
Associates in Englewood, Colo., who discovered a lump in her breast.
According to Mary Hanson, a spokeswoman for the National Science Foundation,
the woman, who does not want to be identified, discovered the lump some time
in June. The woman, through a satellite communications link, conferred with
"some of the best medical experts in the U.S." Through that linkup, these
medical experts believe there does not appear to be an immediate threat to
her life, according to Hanson.
"However, medical experts believe that the patient's current condition is
such that an airdrop of medical supplies and a regimen of drug treatment is
an appropriate response," Hanson said. "This will ensure that the patient
receives proper treatment to sustain her health until such time as she can
be safely transported back for a closer evaluation."
If all goes as planned, the McChord C-141 aircrew, representing the base's
446th and 62nd Airlift Wings, will airdrop two bundles of medical supplies
and four bundles of food and mail July 10 at 9:50 p.m. (Pacific Standard
Time) near the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station operated by the National
Science Foundation.
"We have one purpose to this mission -- get the bundles on the ground," said
Lt. Col. Chris Golob, an Air Force reservist who is McChord's 97th Airlift
Squadron commander and one of five pilots on the mission. "We want to get
all of the bundles out in the first two passes and blast back to
Christchurch (New Zealand). We have the expertise we need with us on this
flight -- we have the right people with us, that's for sure."
The timing of the mission couldn't have come at a more challenging time for
the aircrew -- the South Pole is in the midst of its formidable winter.
Temperatures of 80 degrees below zero are common. The next sunrise is
forecasted for Aug. 19. The sun never rises during this time of the season
there.
"We approach every mission very seriously, and we are going to great lengths
to make this mission happen safely," said Lt. Col. John Pray, the deputy
commander of the active-duty 62nd Operations Group and the commander for
this mission. "It's a terrific feeling to be able to help."
The aircrew will make the drop at about 700 feet above ground level (10,000
feet MSL), traveling at about 170 knots -- nearly 200 miles per hour -- in
total darkness.
"Before we can drop, we'll need to break out in the clear and be able to see
the drop zone," Golob said.
There are 22 aircrew members for the mission -- five pilots, four
navigators, eight loadmasters, four flight engineers and one flight surgeon.
Along with the aircrew members, there are another 13 Air Force members
providing a variety of support roles for the aircrew to deliver the cargo on
time and on target.
The loadmasters are responsible for getting the six large bundles out of the
left- and right- side doors normally used for personnel drops. To do this,
they have a 12-second time frame over the target to roll, twist and push out
the six bundles, each weighing about 350 pounds.
"Normally, we use the back doors and let gravity take over, but on this one,
there's a danger that the back doors could freeze in an open position," said
Senior Master Sgt. Ed Saurs, an active-duty loadmaster from the 8th Airlift
Squadron. "We have some real 'animals' on this mission whose job it is to
push the bundles out."
Wearing thick, cold weather gear, face shields, oxygen masks and as many
wool socks as they can fit inside their boots, six of these "animals" will
perform their mission with temperatures expected to be 60 degrees below zero
in the back of the aircraft. But that's 50 degrees warmer than two
loadmasters are expecting to face as they must do their job in the direct
wind blast behind the two doors.
"We have to do our checklists and ensure the bundles get out safely," Saurs
said, one of the two loadmasters who could face the more than 100-degree
below zero temperatures. "But look at the people we have on this mission --
we have so much experience. We'll make it."
When it comes to Antarctica missions, one of the most experienced aircrew
members on this mission is Master Sgt. Rick Binkley, a reservist from the
97th AS who will be on the flight engineer panel during the airdrop.
"I've made 26 landings on the frozen water, but this will be my first
airdrop mission there," he said. "This mission is what we train for. Of my
20 years of training, this will be, by far, the most challenging and
rewarding non-combat airdrop mission I've ever been on. We always train
with cold weather gear, helmets, NVGs (night vision goggles) and oxygen
masks on night airdrops -- just not at the same time. Now, it's just a
matter of it all coming together."
For Capt. Martin Oliver, a 97th AS reservist who is one of the navigators on
the mission, being in extreme cold weather isn't new to him. He said it
wasn't that long ago when he was stationed at Malmstrom Air Force Base,
Mont., where the temperature plummeted to 40 below zero.
"This mission poses some unique human challenges, but I think it's great we
have the opportunity to help somebody," hhe said. "Doctors get to help
people on a daily basis. In the Air Force, we don't get to do too many of
these humanitarian missions very often."
The McChord aircrew flew nearly 17 hours, from their Tacoma base to Hickam
AFB, Hawaii, July 8. After refueling, the aircrew continued on to
Christchurch, where they should land July 9 at 4:40 a.m. PST. During the
more than 10-hour flight from Hickam to New Zealand, the C-141 will take on
some 70,000 pounds of fuel during an in-air refueling with a KC-10 tanker
aircraft from the 60th Air Mobility Wing, Travis AFB, Calif.
After spending the night in New Zealand, the aircrew will leave July 10 at 3
p.m. (PST) for its six-and-a-half-hour flight to the South Pole drop zone.
Again, a Travis KC-10 will transfer about 25,000 pounds of fuel during an
in-air refueling.
After the drop, the crew members will fly another six-hour leg back to
Christchurch, take on fuel, and fly off to Pago Pago, American Samoa, some
five hours away, where they will stay over night. The aircrew will fly to
Hickam and then back to McChord, scheduled to arrive at 5:15 p.m. (PST) July
15, logging in more than 46 hours flying time. (Courtesy of AFRC News
Service)