RAAF C17 globmaster in Antarctica

Just letting you all know Australia has sent a C17 globmaster to Antarctica to deliver heavy equipment
This is the first time a large aircraft has landed
In Antarctica
Fly in fly out on one tank of fuel
I wonder if this is more of a military move

Reports say that Russia and also China are now sending there biggest aircraft to Antarctica
Looks like the race is on
Will Antarctica be the next battlefield

a reply to: piney

The first time for Australia maybe. They're limited in how long they can resupply the bases, and they require a lot of supplies. Large aircraft like the C-17 and C-5 land there every season, carrying in helicopters, snow tractors, and enough supplies to get through the winter. Once winter starts aircraft can't fly in because it's so cold the fluids freeze and they get stuck.







The larger aircraft fly the supplies in, then specially equipped C-130s fly them out to the more remote stations and help distribute them to areas the larger aircraft can't go.

a reply to: piney

Battlefield for what?

What do you think they're sending down there?

a reply to: Chadwickus

They were bringing penguins out years ago. We'd get LC-130s going home with them crated up. You'd look in the hole and they'd all be looking back at you.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Training an army of evil, world dominating penguins then..that's their game

a reply to: piney
I was just telling my gf this a few nights ago. We should research any ways to get ahead of the Antarctica curve. Maybe it could be in our retirement.. She said it was not habitable. We looked at maps and short research seems to reveal some places are habitable and possible getting more so! Who knows one day I bet!

originally posted by: Zaphod58

That was me for about 7 years back in the 80s and early 90s...hehe

a reply to: Zaphod58

It always amazed me as a child that such a huge plane can manage to lift off and fly with all that weight.

Even now as an adult it still fascinates me.

originally posted by: piney
Just letting you all know Australia has sent a C17 globmaster to Antarctica to deliver heavy equipment

Another globmaster

Not the first time Australia has been full of spittle...As Zaphod said, large aircraft fly down there every season and I have seen a number of them at Harewood.

Settle down, crack a tinny and relax, cobber. you're getting carried away...

Meh we cant even defend our fishing grounds down there..

a reply to: threeeyesopen

You should see what they've done with the M model upgrade. They call it the Super Galaxy. They launched one at as close to MTOW as they could, then put every drop off fuel they could after they were airborne, and ended up over a million pounds total weight.

originally posted by: Chadwickus
a reply to: Zaphod58

Training an army of evil, world dominating penguins then..that's their game

No pic of 'The Penguin' yet though.
Sigh.

a reply to: butcherguy

Penguins masquerading as dogs in dresses. It's worse than we feared...

a reply to: Michet
Very good!

a reply to: Michet

Oh god the irony

a reply to: Zaphod58

Just about the only medal I actually ever wanted! Might even have liked to have tried for the wintered over device, but alas not to many para drops needed down there! C-5 wasn't a bad drop though, unless you don't like the dutch roll at low speeds... Loadies had a heck of a clean up after that one!

a reply to: cavjafo

Back when the Navy had the LC-130s they had one that got caught in an early storm and frozen. It was something like 14 years before they could fly it out. Thing was falling apart when it came through heading to the Depot.

a reply to: Zaphod58
IIRC they actually figured recovering the aircraft and refurbishing it was far cheaper than buying a new one. I'm pretty sure though that during the recovery they lost another C-130 down there in an accident. I dont recall if it was fatal or not.

LEE.

a reply to: piney
Where did you get the idea that this was the first time a large aircraft was heading down there? C''mon which News Ltd copy paste rag did you read it in?......

I'm not sure what exactly qualifies as a "large" aircraft but the US has been sending Galaxy's, Starlifter's and just about every other strategic lifter they have operated down there for more than half a century. Australia has also sent C-130's as well which are a fairly large aircraft, and the last few years a specially modified Airbus A-319 does an unrefueled round trip during the summer months for the Australian Antarctic Division.

LEE.

After Grand Forks I almost took a Raytheon gig down there.......really wish I would have. Don't let those cool unusual jobs pass you by if you can do them.