Russians may fly to Antarctica

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32879, 30 March 1972, Page 1

Russians may fly to Antarctica

In a few years it is likely that scientists from Russia will fly to the Antarctic by way of Australia or Madagascar to carry out their research rather than travel south by sea.

Dr Y. Korotkevitch, leader of the Soviet Antarctic Expedition for the last five years, said at Lyttelton last evening that consideration would be given to establishing a runway at Molodezhnaya — the main Soviet base in the Antarctic. The problem in the past ► has been that there were no proper landing facilities at any of the Soviet stations. The aircraft used by the Russians on the continent— Ilyushin 14s—were relatively small machines. Dr Korotkevitch said before heavier planes could land a full runway would have to be prepared. "We think it likely that in a few years we will have proper landing facilities at Molodezhnaya and that aircraft will be able to bring scientists down from the U.S.S.R. by way of Australia or Madagascar." He added that nothing definite had been decided. Dr Korotkevitch was aboard the Soviet Antarctic supply : ship Ob which berthed at i Lyttelton for the first time i last evening to take on pro- ' visions before leaving on Sat-1 urday for Antarctic waters < again. The Ob, which has made i 17 trips to the Antarctic, is ' under the command of Cap- 1 tain S. Voiko, of Murmansk, < who has himself been to the 1 continent 11 times on the Ob. 1

This is his first voyage as her master. Dr Korotkevitch said that thick ice and weather had delayed the Ob’s arrival at the port until yesterday. The ship left Leningrad, home of the Arctic and Antarctic Institute, on November 10; the voyage to the continent, including calls at Soviet coastal stations, has taken 129 days up to the time of reaching Lyttelton. Expedition members had been landed at the Soviet Antarctic bases; on the Ob’s return to the Antarctic the old team will be taken aboard for the voyage home. Captain Voiko said a new ship would probably be put on the run to the Antarctic in three or four years but it would not replace the Ob, which would continue to go south as well.