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Coordinates: 77°57′48″S 166°31′28″E / 77.96333°S 166.52444°E / -77.96333; 166.52444
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| name = Pegasus Field
| name = Pegasus Field
| image = Pegasus Field runway.jpg
| image = Pegasus Field runway.jpg
| image-width = 270
| caption = White ice runway at Pegasus Field
| caption = White ice runway at Pegasus Field
| IATA = none
| IATA = none
| ICAO = NZPG
| ICAO = NZPG
| pushpin_map = Antarctica
| pushpin_map = Antarctica
| pushpin_mapsize = 270
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airfield in Antarctica
| pushpin_map_caption = Location of airfield in Antarctica
| pushpin_label = NZPG
| pushpin_label = NZPG
Line 27: Line 29:
| r2-length-m = 3,048
| r2-length-m = 3,048
| r2-surface = Ice
| r2-surface = Ice
| footnotes = Source: [[DAFIF]] <ref name=WAD>{{WAD|NZPG|source=[[DAFIF]]}}</ref><ref name=GCM>{{GCM|NZPG|source=[[DAFIF]]}}</ref><ref>USAP.gov US Antarctic Program Inter-agency Air Operations Manual</ref>
| footnotes = Source: [[DAFIF]]<ref name=WAD>{{cite web|url-status=usurped|url=http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=NZPG|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190305143444/http://worldaerodata.com/wad.cgi?airport=NZPG|archive-date=2019-03-05|title=Airport information for NZPG|website=World Aero Data}} Data current as of October 2006. Source: [[DAFIF]].</ref><ref name=GCM>{{GCM|NZPG|source=[[DAFIF]]}}</ref><ref>USAP.gov US Antarctic Program Inter-agency Air Operations Manual</ref>
}}
}}


'''Pegasus Field''' {{airport codes||NZPG}} was an airstrip in [[Antarctica]], the southernmost of three airfields serving [[McMurdo Station]]. It closed due to excessive melting in the summer season caused by warmer temperatures combined with dust and dirt blown in from nearby [[Black Island (Ross Archipelago)|Black Island]]. The last flight was on December 8, 2016<ref>[https://newsroomplus.com/2016/12/09/nzdf-airlift-missions-renew-lifeline-for-scientists-in-antarctica/ NZDF Airlift Missions Renew Lifeline For Scientists In Antarctica] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170106173704/https://newsroomplus.com/2016/12/09/nzdf-airlift-missions-renew-lifeline-for-scientists-in-antarctica/ |date=2017-01-06 }}</ref> and it was replaced by [[Phoenix Airfield]] {{airport codes||NZFX}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.gcmap.com/airport/NZFX|title=NZFX - McMurdo Station &#91;Phoenix Field&#93;, Ross Island, AQ - Airport - Great Circle Mapper}}</ref><ref name=USAPIAOM>[https://www.usap.gov/logistics/documents/FY16_Air-Operation-Manual.pdf US Antarctic Program Inter-agency Air Operations Manual – United States Antarctic Program]</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usap.gov/News/contentHandler.cfm?id=4212 | title=A New Runway for McMurdo Station is Named| publisher=National Science Foundation| date=7 April 2016}}</ref> with flights starting in February 2017.<ref name="USAPIAOM"/>
⚫
'''Pegasus Field''' {{airport codes||NZPG}} is an airstrip in [[Antarctica]], the southernmost of three airfields serving [[McMurdo Station]]. Pegasus was originally conceived as a blue ice runway capable of handling wheeled aircraft year-round, but as it was developed, it was enhanced with a 4-inch layer of compacted snow on top—thus more properly characterizing it as a white ice runway.
⚫
<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.amc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-151105-042.pdf | title=Operation Deep Freeze--50 Years of Air Force Airlift in Antarctica 1956-2006 (page 265)| first=Ellery D.| last=Wallwork| date=October 2006 }}</ref> The other two are the snow runways at [[Williams Field]] {{airport codes||NZWD}} that are limited to ski-equipped aircraft, and the [[Ice Runway]] <!-- This is not a description this is the Airport's Name -->{{airport codes||NZIR}} on the sea-ice available during the summer Antarctic field season.


⚫
Pegasus was originally conceived as a [[Blue-ice area|blue ice]] runway capable of handling wheeled aircraft year-round, but as it was developed, it was enhanced with a 4-inch layer of compacted snow on top—thus more properly characterizing it as a white ice runway.
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.
⚫
<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.amc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-151105-042.pdf| title=Operation Deep Freeze—50 Years of Air Force Airlift in Antarctica 1956–2006 (page 265)| first=Ellery D.| last=Wallwork| date=October 2006| url-status=dead| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507130839/http://www.amc.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-151105-042.pdf| archivedate=2016-05-07}}</ref> Other local runways are the snow runways at [[Williams Field]] {{airport codes||NZWD}} that are limited to ski-equipped aircraft, and the former [[Ice Runway]] <!-- This is not a description; this is the airport's name -->{{airport codes||NZIR}} on the sea-ice available during the summer Antarctic field season. The limitations of these additional fields meant that before Pegasus opened, jet-powered wheeled aircraft could only fly to/from McMurdo at the beginning of the summer season and all other flights had to be conducted using significantly smaller and slower ski planes.

The field is named after ''Pegasus'', a C-121 [[Lockheed Constellation]] that made a forced landing on unprepared terrain in bad weather on October 8, 1970. None of the 80 on board were seriously injured. The aircraft remains in-situ near the airfield as of 2019, and has remained well preserved. It is generally covered with snow, but is occasionally excavated by visitors wishing to photograph it.<ref>[https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/pegasus-wreck Pegasus Wreck] - ''Atlas Obscura'' - Accessed upon September 16, 2019</ref>


On September 11, 2008, a United States Air Force [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 Globemaster III]] successfully completed the first landing in Antarctica using [[night-vision goggles]] at Pegasus Field.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1544 | title=Air Force successfully tests new capability to fly any time of year to McMurdo| work=Antarctic Sun|first=Peter| last=Rejcek| date=September 26, 2008}}</ref> Previously air transport in the permanent darkness of the winter was only used in emergencies, with burning barrels of fuel to outline the runway.
On September 11, 2008, a United States Air Force [[Boeing C-17 Globemaster III|C-17 Globemaster III]] successfully completed the first landing in Antarctica using [[night-vision goggles]] at Pegasus Field.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=1544 | title=Air Force successfully tests new capability to fly any time of year to McMurdo| work=Antarctic Sun|first=Peter| last=Rejcek| date=September 26, 2008}}</ref> Previously air transport in the permanent darkness of the winter was only used in emergencies, with burning barrels of fuel to outline the runway.

In recent seasons, Pegasus has been plagued with warmer temperatures combined with dust and dirt blown in from nearby Black Island, causing excessive melting making the runway unusable at the end of the austral summer season. Accordingly, Pegasus, and the Ice Runway (which has not been consistently used in recent years), were planned to be replaced with a new "Alpha Runway" which will be near Williams Field and be constructed using compressed snow technology. A search for a replacement site began in 2014; serious construction began during the 2015-16 austral summer. The new runway is about 3 miles northwest of Pegasus, to be out of the wind patterns for the Black Island dust. It is based completely on compacted snow, rather than the "blue ice" base under Pegasus. On 7 April 2016 the National Science Foundation officially announced that the new runway would be named the [[Phoenix Airfield]],<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.usap.gov/News/contentHandler.cfm?id=4212 | title=A New Runway for McMurdo Station is Named| publisher=National Science Foundation| date=7 April 2016}}</ref> {{airport codes||NZFX}} after the name of a propeller-driven C-121 Constellation transport plane which was flown between Christchurch and McMurdo by the U.S. Navy VX-6 squadron during the 1960s through 1971.

Phoenix Airfield underwent operational testing and has received its first wheeled landings during the 2016-17 austral summer season.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://antarcticsun.usap.gov/features/contenthandler.cfm?id=4284 | title=Phoenix Rising | publisher=The Antarctic Sun | date=21 November 2016}}</ref>

Pegasus Airfield have been closed after last flight in FY2016/17+ on December 8, 2016.<ref>[https://newsroomplus.com/2016/12/09/nzdf-airlift-missions-renew-lifeline-for-scientists-in-antarctica/ NZDF Airlift Missions Renew Lifeline For Scientists In Antarctica]</ref> Phoenix Airfield is expected to open on February 1, 2017<ref>[https://www.usap.gov/logistics/documents/FY16_Air-Operation-Manual.pdf US Antarctic Program Inter-agency Air Operations Manual - United States Antarctic Program]</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery mode=packed>
<gallery mode="packed">
file:Galaxy Antarctica.jpg|United States Air Force C-5 Galaxy being off-loaded at Pegasus Field.
file:Galaxy Antarctica.jpg|United States Air Force C-5 Galaxy being off-loaded at Pegasus Field.
file:Air Force Boeing 757 in Pegasus Field Antarctica.jpg|RNZAF Boeing 757 lands at Pegasus Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf during its maiden flight to Antarctica.
file:Air Force Boeing 757 in Pegasus Field Antarctica.jpg|RNZAF Boeing 757 lands at Pegasus Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf during its maiden flight to Antarctica.
</gallery>
</gallery>

==See also==
* [[List of airports in Antarctica]]


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{Commons category|Pegasus Field}}
{{Commons category|Pegasus Field}}
* [http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/search/asset/1001222 ''Airfields on Antarctic Glacier Ice''] Malcolm Mellor and Charles Swithinbank, CRREL 1989.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160513090702/http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/search/asset/1001222 ''Airfields on Antarctic Glacier Ice''] Malcolm Mellor and Charles Swithinbank, CRREL 1989.
* [http://www.vaq34.com/vxe6/c121.htm Lockheed Aircraft R7V-1 / R7V-1P / C-121J "Constellation" "Connie"]
* [http://www.vaq34.com/vxe6/c121.htm Lockheed Aircraft R7V-1 / R7V-1P / C-121J "Constellation" "Connie"]
* [http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1990/opp93009/opp93009.txt Installation of runway-Pegasus]
* [https://www.nsf.gov/pubs/stis1990/opp93009/opp93009.txt Installation of runway-Pegasus]
* [http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/02/pr0214.htm ''Runway Project Clears the Way for Improved Antarctic Airlift''] National Science Foundation. February 20, 2002.
* [https://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/02/pr0214.htm ''Runway Project Clears the Way for Improved Antarctic Airlift''] National Science Foundation. February 20, 2002.
* [http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/1001388 ''Construction, Maintenance, and Operation of a Glacial Runway, McMurdo Station, Antarctica''] George L. Blaisdell et al, CRREL Monograph 98-1, March 1998.
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160513123202/http://acwc.sdp.sirsi.net/client/en_US/search/asset/1001388 ''Construction, Maintenance, and Operation of a Glacial Runway, McMurdo Station, Antarctica''] George L. Blaisdell et al., CRREL Monograph 98–1, March 1998.
* {{NWS-current|NZPG}}
* {{NWS-current|NZPG}}


{{Portal bar|Aviation|Transport|Geography}}
{{Airports in Antarctica}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Defunct airports]]
[[Category:Airports in the Ross Dependency]]
[[Category:Airports in the Ross Dependency]]
[[Category:McMurdo Station]]
[[Category:McMurdo Station]]
[[Category:Airports in Antarctica]]
[[Category:Airports disestablished in 2016]]
[[Category:2016 disestablishments in Antarctica]]

Latest revision as of 07:53, 4 November 2024

Pegasus Field
White ice runway at Pegasus Field
Summary
LocationMcMurdo Station, Ross Island, Antarctica
Elevation AMSL18 ft / 5 m
Coordinates77°57′48″S 166°31′28″E / 77.96333°S 166.52444°E / -77.96333; 166.52444
Map
NZPG is located in Antarctica
NZPG
NZPG
Location of airfield in Antarctica
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
15/33 10,000 3,048 Ice
08/26 10,000 3,048 Ice

Pegasus Field (ICAO: NZPG) was an airstrip in Antarctica, the southernmost of three airfields serving McMurdo Station. It closed due to excessive melting in the summer season caused by warmer temperatures combined with dust and dirt blown in from nearby Black Island. The last flight was on December 8, 2016[4] and it was replaced by Phoenix Airfield (ICAO: NZFX)[5][6][7] with flights starting in February 2017.[6]

Pegasus was originally conceived as a blue ice runway capable of handling wheeled aircraft year-round, but as it was developed, it was enhanced with a 4-inch layer of compacted snow on top—thus more properly characterizing it as a white ice runway. [8] Other local runways are the snow runways at Williams Field (ICAO: NZWD) that are limited to ski-equipped aircraft, and the former Ice Runway (ICAO: NZIR) on the sea-ice available during the summer Antarctic field season. The limitations of these additional fields meant that before Pegasus opened, jet-powered wheeled aircraft could only fly to/from McMurdo at the beginning of the summer season and all other flights had to be conducted using significantly smaller and slower ski planes.

The field is named after Pegasus, a C-121 Lockheed Constellation that made a forced landing on unprepared terrain in bad weather on October 8, 1970. None of the 80 on board were seriously injured. The aircraft remains in-situ near the airfield as of 2019, and has remained well preserved. It is generally covered with snow, but is occasionally excavated by visitors wishing to photograph it.[9]

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.[10] Previously air transport in the permanent darkness of the winter was only used in emergencies, with burning barrels of fuel to outline the runway.

[edit]
  • United States Air Force C-5 Galaxy being off-loaded at Pegasus Field.
    United States Air Force C-5 Galaxy being off-loaded at Pegasus Field.
  • RNZAF Boeing 757 lands at Pegasus Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf during its maiden flight to Antarctica.
    RNZAF Boeing 757 lands at Pegasus Airfield on the Ross Ice Shelf during its maiden flight to Antarctica.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Airport information for NZPG". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2019-03-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  2. ^ Airport information for NZPG at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. ^ USAP.gov US Antarctic Program Inter-agency Air Operations Manual
  4. ^ NZDF Airlift Missions Renew Lifeline For Scientists In Antarctica Archived 2017-01-06 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "NZFX - McMurdo Station [Phoenix Field], Ross Island, AQ - Airport - Great Circle Mapper".
  6. ^ a b US Antarctic Program Inter-agency Air Operations Manual – United States Antarctic Program
  7. ^ "A New Runway for McMurdo Station is Named". National Science Foundation. 7 April 2016.
  8. ^ Wallwork, Ellery D. (October 2006). "Operation Deep Freeze—50 Years of Air Force Airlift in Antarctica 1956–2006 (page 265)" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-05-07.
  9. ^ Pegasus Wreck - Atlas Obscura - Accessed upon September 16, 2019
  10. ^ Rejcek, Peter (September 26, 2008). "Air Force successfully tests new capability to fly any time of year to McMurdo". Antarctic Sun.
[edit]
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