Injured Man Evacuated From McMurdo Station

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30479, 29 June 1964, Page 3

Injured Man Evacuated From McMurdo Station

The drama of the first mid-winter flight ever made to Antarctica, to evacuate a seriously injured serviceman from McMurdo Station, ended at Christchurch airport yesterday morning with the departure of two United States Navy skiequipped Hercules for their home base on Rhode Island.

The injured man, Bethel Lee McMullen, is in the Christchurch Hospital. The medical superintendent-in-chief

(Dr. L. M. Berry) said that although Mr McMullen’s injuries were serious his condition was satisfactory.

Mr McMullen knew nothing of the evacuation plans until a Hercules landed at McMurdo Sound. He is pleased to be in New Zealand, and is anxious to be reunited with his wife in California. If he is fit to be moved, he will probably leave for the United States in a United States Navy Super Constellation on a routine flight next month.

Lieutenant R. V. Mayer, who piloted the Hercules of the VXI6 Squadron, attributed the success of the flight to a well-planned effort by all concerned at Christchurch and McMurdo Station and by the two Royal New Zealand Navy frigates Otago and Pukaki, which steamed south into Antarctic waters to provide weather information and to be ready to act in a search and rescue role. Many Congratulations Congratulatory messages

were received throughout Saturday at the Harewood base. The first was from the commander of the United States Navy Antarctic support force (Rear-Admiral J. R. Reedy). Not long after came one from the Governor-Gen-eral (Sir Bernard Fergusson). Navy servicemen in the Pacific added their messages of congratulation, as did countless individuals and organisations.

The Hercules landed again at Harewood at 5.54 a.in. on Saturday, about seven hours and a half after leaving McMurdo Sound. The flight, Lieutenant Mayer said, was more or less routine all the way. The weather was good. The aircraft maintained an average cruising speed of 270 knots on both flights. On the south-bound flight the plane had a tail wind for two-thirds of the way, but then met head winds for 250 miles.

Lieutenant Mayer described the swiftly prepared runway as the best lit he had seen in his Navy career. The drums of burning fuel along the 10,000 ft runway and the lights of McMurdo Station and Scott Base were clearly visible 72 miles away. The total scene, he said, was like gigantic Christmas tree all lit up. About 50 or 60 persons were waiting as the Hercules

landed, In landing and taking off the Hercules used only 4000 ft of the runway. Condi-, tions at McMurdo Sound were excellent. Travelled Well

Mr McMullen travelled well and seemed to enjoy the flight. At one stage when Lieutenant Mayer left the flight deck to go aft Mr McMullen was smoking a cigar. He was fed 5 per cent glucose on a drip-feed in flight. Since his 16ft fall at McMurdo Station last Sunday in which he suffered a fractured spine and scalp lacerations, Mr McMullen had been without food, in case surgery .vas needed before he was moved.

The success of the flight is expected to pave the way for irregular flights to the Antarctic in mid-winter. When Admiral Reedy exchanged messages with the men of the mission on Saturday he showed particular interest in the condition of the 10,000 ft emergency runway.

It is considered that the whole idea of mid-winter flights will be keenly studied in Washington by the Antarctic Projects Command. On their return to Washington all who took part on the flight will be interviewed and submit reports in order to determine the feasibility of irregular mid-winter flights. Pilot’s Comment When asked about this possibility Lieutenant Mayer said that such flights could very well take place, but decisions would naturally be with the commander of the support force.. “There could be one or maybe two flights in the winter, and perhaps these might begin next winter,” he said.

Lieutenant Mayer, a pilot with a Navy career of 22 years, described the flight as the greatest thing that had ever happened to him. Only four faults marred the 17hour flight, and. none was serious. When the Hercules was prepared to land at McMurdo Sound a fault developed in the starboard landing gear. This was soon remedied. On the return flight the port landing light froze in the “down” position, the normal mesh lock on the nose ski did not engage and so the ski had to be held up by hydraulic pressure, and a boost pump in one of the auxiliary fuel tanks failed to work.

The Hercules landed at Christchurch with about 3000 gallons of fuel.