C-17 Aircraft from McChord

C-17 planes transport people and cargo between Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo, Antarctica.  I really enjoyed both my rides on them.  They are cold and noisy, but the crews are fantastic and the "interior decorating" is much to be admired.  My dad sent this link about the challenges of flying and how the best McChord Air Force pilots want to be part of Mission Deep Freeze:  http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2010883061_antarctica25m.html  It's always nice to have the best looking out for you!

Here are some of my C-17 pictures.

Our plane in Christchurch:

Cargo waiting to be loaded:

Looking toward the front of the plane over a sea of 127 scientists and support experts:

Me in my seat on October 5th, 2010:

Looking back at the cargo:

The cargo is held in place by slots in the floor that special pallets slide into.  The same is true for the seats.

Lots of tools are essential and look great!

I had handy tools to secure cargo above my seat.  We went through FFA approved security to get on, so we certainly couldn't have carried any of these in our hand luggage:

There is only one lavatory and the line was constant and long with so many people on the flight:

The ceiling emergency exit was my favorite.  It included explosives to open it!

We got tours of the cockpit:

The views out of the few windows were great:

While in McMurdo, I saw a C-17 land on the sea ice runway right off the base.  When I flew in, we landed on the ice shelf runway because the sea ice runway hadn't been built yet.  This was one of the first flights to land on the sea ice and it was right before we went into the field at Lake Joyce.  Here it is at the end of the runway and beautifully framed by Mt. Discovery:

We saw it from hut point while exploring one of Scott's old outposts.

The whole "airport" has minimal infrastructure:

When I flew out on December 11th, the sea ice runway was closed again because the ice was too warm and soft to play runway.  We took a bus out to the ice shelf runway.  Here is the waiting room where we spent an hour waiting for our C-17:

Eventually the plane approached and landed in perfect weather:

Watching the cargo transfers was great entertainment.

Eventually, they were ready for us:

There were fewer people on the flight back and less cargo. 

The view from my seat was dominated by a big yellow crate carrying parts of the Endurance autonomous underwater vehicle. 

This robot had been exploring a lake in Taylor Valley about 20 km from my camp while I was out there.  Some of their team members were on the same flight.

I'll be heading back to Antarctica next fall.  I'm looking forward to my C-17 flights!