Ice Runway
The Ice Runway, the closest airstrip to
McMurdo station, is the most used facility
on the continent from the start of the
summer season in October until December,
when the ice starts to break up.
It can handle aircraft up to Lockheed C-5M
Galaxy and C-17A Globemaster III size and
has also being used by airliners including
Boeing 757s and Airbus A319s. Pilots report
that touching down on the grooved surface is
similar to landing on concrete.
The precise position of the Ice Runway
is determined each August, and the
airfi eld takes around 5,000 man-hours to
construct. As at Williams Field, the edges
of the strips are black boards at 400ft
(122m) intervals, and they have high-intensity edge lights.
Each year, the FAA visits the airfi eld to
certify it for civilian operations; and while
the task has often been supported by
one of the US Air Force LC-130s, more
recently the agency’s specially-equipped
Bombardier Challenger has been used.
A remarkable feature of the airfi eld is
that the wheels of heavy aircraft slowly sink
into the ice while they are stationary. Laser
devices measure the se lement, and once
it reaches 10 inches (25cm) the aircraft
must be moved to another location.
The Ice Runway is usually preferred for
larger aircraft when it’s available, but once
the melt sets in – usually in February – the
fl ights from New Zealand cease until the
start of the following research season.
On September 11, 2006 a C-17A of the
304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron
landed on the strip – its crew, from the
62nd and 446th Airlift Wings, wearing
night-vision goggles to see refl ective
cones on the ground to judge the
approach and touchdown.
At the time, Colonel McGann, who was
aboard the aircraft, said: “Now, withthe inherent capability in the C-17, the
increased technological advances in night-
vision goggles and 64 high-intensity retro-
refl ective 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, providing
critical situational
awareness. When
the aircraft turns
to fi nal [approach],
the wingtip light
refl ects off the
cones and we
can see the entire
runway.”ICE RUNWAY
ICAO Code: NZIR
Location: 77°51'14''S 166°28'07''E
Elevation: 1ft (0m)
Runways: 11/29 10,000 x 220ft
(3,048 x 67m)
16/34 10,000 x 220ft
(3,048 x 67m)
Frequencies: Ice Tower 126.2, 134.1Extreme Airports // 25ANTARTICA
TOP LEFT: Boeing
757-2K2 NZ7572
supporting New
Zealand’s Antarctic
research. (New
Zealand Defence
Force)
ABOVE: A large hel-
ipad is part of the
complex. (NASA /
George Hale and
Wikimedia Com-
mons / Eli Duke)
LEFT: Skytraders
Airbus A319-115LR
VH-VHD brought
researchers from
Christchurch.
(Wikimedia Com-
mons / Eli Duke)
BELOW: The site in-
cludes ice runways
and skiways. (Wiki-
media Commons /
Jeff erson Beck)22-26_McMurdo.indd 25 11/05/2018 14:07