Record Antarctic Flight By Three Globemasters

Press, Volume C, Issue 29683, 29 November 1961, Page 17

Record Antarctic Flight By Three Globemasters

Three United States Air Force Globemasters made airdrops successfully about 11 p.m. yesterday at the new Sky Hi scientific base in Ellsworth Land near the Sentinal Mountains. It was the second attempt at the longest flight made in •the Antarctic. The planes left McMurdo Sound at 3 p.m. carrying tons of fuel and supplies. They are now on their way back to McMurdo Sound. It will be a non-stop flight of 3100 miles. Much of the long journey is over land which has never been closely examined by man. Within a few hours of their return to McMurdo they will take off again to make three more air-drops at the remote American outpost. The Globemasters ’ cargo included motor-vehicle parts and rations for a traverse ■party, as well as the tons of drummed fuel. A University of - Wisconsin team, now at Camp Minnesota, near the coast of the Bellingshausen Sea, will use the supplies

during their 1200 mile traverse. Altogether the Globemasters will drop 117,130 pounds of cargo at Ski Hi—48,680 to be picked up by the traverse party and the rest for the scientific station itself. The three aircraft made their first attempt to reach Sky Hi on Sunday night, but they had to turn back because of bad weather in the drop zone. They returned on Sunday after four hours and a half in the air. When they have made their six air-drops at Sky Hi, the 9th Troop Carrier Squadron will continue its redeployment from Christchurch to their home station. Donaldson Air Force Base near Greenville, South Carolina. They arrived in New Zealand in September, and since early October they have taken more than 700 tons of cargo and passengers from Christchurch to McMurdo Sound. In the Antarctic they have flown another 1000 tons of fuel and supplies to inland stations at the South Pole and in Marie Byrd Land.