C-17 crew lands after-dark landing in Antarctica

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Chris Vadnais
  • Air Force News Agency
PEGASUS ICE RUNWAY, Antarctica (AFPN) --  A C-17 Globemaster III aircrew from McChord Air Force Base, Wash., performed the first known after-dark landing in Antarctica using night vision goggles here Sept.
11.

The McChord aircrew, consisting of active duty Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing and Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing, verified the C-17's capability to access McMurdo Station, Antarctica, by landing here in complete darkness using night vision technology in combination with reflective cones.

The mission was flown as part of Operation Deep Freeze, which is commanded by U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica. Headquartered at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, and led by 13th Air Force, JTF SFA's mission is to provide air- and sealift support to the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program.

There is no sunlight in Antarctica for several months of the year, from around late March to the middle of August. The night vision goggle concept will make it easier and safer for C-17 aircrews to get into Antarctica any time of the year.

Maj. Corey Simmons, an evaluator pilot with McChord's 62nd Operations Support Squadron and one of the pilots on the mission, said there are many reasons the National Science Foundation may need strategic airlift during winter months.

"There could be a contingency operation where someone is sick or hurt down here during the winter-over months, when they have complete darkness for four and a half months," Major Simmons said. "We have the capability now to get them out."

The use of night vision goggles and reflective cones on the ground capitalizes on an inherent strength of the C-17 Globemaster III -- the jet is built for night vision operations. Its Heads-Up-Display shows all the aircraft's operating parameters directly in front of its pilots on a piece of glass. This allows pilots to use night vision goggles to survey the area while maintaining a close eye on the aircraft's performance.

Flying airlift missions into the coldest, windiest, and most inhospitable continent on the globe can be challenging business. No one knows this better than Lt. Col. Jim McGann, commander of the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron and the night vision goggle concept's chief architect. With 12 years and more than 60 missions to the ice under his belt, Colonel McGann has just about seen it all.

"Previously, we couldn't physically light the entire runway; it wasn't possible," Colonel McGann said. "Now, with the inherent [night vision goggle] capability in the C-17, the increased technological advances in night vision goggles, and 64 high-intensity retro-reflective cones placed on the runway edge, we can leverage the technologies and say, 'Let's see if we can get in there and access McMurdo at night.'

"We found the cones to be very good at illuminating the runway and providing critical situational awareness," he added. "When the aircraft turns to final [approach], the wingtip light reflects off the cones to the [night vision goggles] and we can see the entire runway."

Major Simmons said the beauty of the cones is that they light up "like Christmas trees" even though they are not powered.

"Even if you looked under the [night vision goggles] with the naked eye, you could see these things from two or three miles out coming in to Pegasus," Major Simmons said. "So the safety factor that we were able to give to this type of mission by adding something like this is exponential."

The successful test was the culmination of 18 months of planning, but the pilots on this mission said it was well worth the time and effort.

"The National Science Foundation is going to be able to get in year-round [now]," Major Simmons said. "So the fact that 18 months of planning, tests and hard work finally put that C-17 on the ground is definitely worth all the effort we put into it."

The successful test precedes a bittersweet exit for Colonel McGann; this will be his last season with Operation Deep Freeze.

"It's time," Colonel McGann said. "Like with everything, new blood is important. People seeing it with a new perspective and people with outside ideas who haven't been here as long as I have...will come into the program and bring it to the next level."

Some of the young pilots Colonel McGann talked about flew on this mission. There were ten pilots on board, all of whom were certified to land on the ice in the dark using night vision goggles and the cones.

Colonel McGann said the concept will open up many opportunities for the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic Program.

"Now [the National Science Foundation]...can take advantage of the full capabilities of the C-17," he said.

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