Late flight to sea-ice strip
A United States Starlifter aircraft landed on the annual ice runway at Williams Field in McMurdo Sound on Tuesday, the latest time in the year that the jet runway for wheeled aircraft has been used. Normally, the runway is breaking up and floating out to sea by New Year.
The 10.000 ft runway is usually between 10ft and 15ft thick during its operational use, but on Tuesday the ice was only about 7ft thick, it is expected to break up soon, when all flights to the Antarctic will have to be made by ski-equipped aircraft un-
til the sea-ice forms again. The Starlifter flight on Tuesday left Christchurch at 8 a.m. and landed on the ice at 1 p.m. It was there for a little under an hour before taking off to return to Christ-
church, where it landed at 7 p.m. On board the flight were nine crew and 100 passengers, including the United States Navy Chief of Information (Rear-Admiral W.| ; Thompson) and the manager of polar operations for the National Science Foundation (Mr Price Lewis).
Most of the other passengers were cargo handlers from Williamsburg, Virginia, who will unload the resupply ships at Elliott Quay in Winter Quarters Bay. the first of which, the U.S.N.S. Mirfak. will arrive next week.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33121, 11 January 1973, Page 8
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217Late flight to sea-ice strip Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33121, 11 January 1973, Page 8
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