Ice Runway

The Ice Runway (ICAO: NZIR) is the principal runway for the US Antarctic Program during the summer Antarctic field season due to its proximity to McMurdo Station. The other two runways in the area are the snow runway at Williams Field (ICAO: NZWD) and the white ice runway at Pegasus Field (ICAO: NZPG}.

This runway is capable of handling wheeled aircraft, that have included to date: Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Lockheed P-3 Orion. In the summer season of 2009 /2010 the RNZAF trialled a modified Boeing 757 operationally. The intention is to use the Boeing 757 for passenger transport thereby freeing up capacity for C17 cargo space.

The annual sea-ice runway for wheeled aircraft is constructed at the start of each season and is used until early December when the sea ice begins to break up. Subsequently flight operations are moved back to Williams Field. Pilots landing C-17 Globemaster III cargo aircraft on the sea ice runway report that the surface is stable, not unlike landing on concrete. However, the similarity with land bases ends when the jet aircraft rolls to a stop. The nearly 450,000 pound weight of the plane, including cargo and passengers, causes it to sink into the ice, albeit only a matter of inches. A laser light is trained on the aircraft to measure the settlement rate. The $200 million aircraft is moved to a new location on the six-foot-thick ice as a safety measure if the 10-inch red line is reached, according to the News Tribune in Tacoma, Washington.