Pegasus Field

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Coordinates: 77°57′48″S 166°31′28″E / 77.96333°S 166.52444°E / -77.96333; 166.52444

Pegasus Field
White ice runway at Pegasus Field
IATA: none – ICAO: NZPG
Location of Pegasus Field in Antarctica
NZPG
Location of airfield in Antarctica
Summary
Location McMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica
Elevation AMSL 18 ft / 5 m
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 10,000 3,048 Ice
Source: DAFIF [1][2]

Pegasus Field (ICAO: NZPG) is an airstrip in Antarctica, the southernmost of three airfields serving McMurdo Station. Pegasus is a blue ice runway capable of handling wheeled aircraft year-round. The other two are the snow runways at Williams Field (ICAO: NZWD) that are limited to ski-equipped aircraft, and the Ice Runway (ICAO: NZIR) on the sea-ice available during the summer Antarctic field season.

The field is named after Pegasus, a C-121 Lockheed Constellation, still visible there in the snow after crashing in bad weather on October 8, 1970. No one on board was injured.

On September 11, 2008, a United States Air Force C-17 Globemaster III successfully completed the first landing in Antarctica using night-vision goggles at Pegasus Field.[3] Previously air transport in the permanent darkness of the winter was only used in emergencies, with burning barrels of fuel to outline the runway.

References

  1. ↑ Airport information for NZPG at World Aero Data. Data current as of October 2006.Source: DAFIF.
  2. ↑ Airport information for NZPG at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective Oct. 2006).
  3. ↑ Rejcek, Peter (September 26, 2008). "Air Force successfully tests new capability to fly any time of year to McMurdo". Antarctic Sun. 

Gallery

  • United States Air Force C-5 Galaxy being off-loaded at Pegasus Field.

  • RNZAF Boeing lands at Pegasus Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf during its maiden flight to Antarctica.

External links

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