September 15, 2008 — Add one more reason to the list why night goggles come in handy: So you can land in Antarctica where it is dark for months at a time.
A C-17 Globemaster III crew from McChord Air Force Base in Washington made aviation history last week when they used night vision technology in combination with reflective cones and limited electrical lighting to land safely on the Pegasus Ice Runway near McMurdo Station after dark, Air Force Print News Today reported.
The crew, consisting of active-duty Airmen from the 62nd Airlift Wing and Reservists from the 446th Airlift Wing, is part of Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, and led by the 13th Air Force. The joint task force is currently conducting Operation DEEP FREEZE in support of the National Science Foundation and US Antarctic Program.
There is no sunlight in Antarctica from late March to mid-August. Previously, during this time the runway was used only in emergencies and then 55-gallon drums of kerosene were lighted to illuminate the runway, which isn’t particularly safe.
Lt. Col. Jim McGann, commander of the 304th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, was the night vision goggles (NVG) concept's chief architect. He has the most experience in flying strategic missions to Antarctica of any active pilot on earth.
"Previously we couldn't physically light the entire runway; it wasn't possible," McGann said. "Now, with the inherent NVG capability in the C-17, the increased technological advances of 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. When the aircraft turns to final, the wingtip light reflects off the cones to the NVG's and we can see the entire runway.”
And that means they can land just as they would land at night at home. "So now this becomes something we do routinely,” McGann said, “and if it's something we do routinely we're better at it, we're more skilled at it — more proficient at it. I've never landed on burn barrels, but I've landed on night vision goggles before."
The successful test was the culmination of 18 months of planning.
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Lt. Col. Jim McGann looks out over the ice after a night vision goggles-assisted landing on Pegasus Ice Runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on Sept. 11, 2008.
U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chris Vadnais
Maj. Corey A. Simmons stands next to a reflective cone on the Pegasus Ice Runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Simmons was part of an aircrew that tested the concept of using night vision technology in combination with the reflective cones and limited electrical lighting to land safely on the ice runway after dark.
U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chris Vadnais
Lt. Col. Robert Weichert looks out over the ice after a night vision-assisted landing on Pegasus Ice Runway on Sept. 11. U.S. Air Force photo/Master Sgt. Chris Vadnais
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