Posted on 02/06/2005 12:47:05 PM PST by shaggy eel
The make of jet plane that for years linked Christchurch to Antarctica has taken its last Ice flight.
C-141s were the first jets to land in Antarctica and have transported people and supplies to the United States' McMurdo Station in Antarctic for the past 40 years.
Although destined to become scrap metal on its return to the States, the last great old grey StarLifter to make the Ice flight was farewelled with much sentiment by Antarctic personnel yesterday in Christchurch before it flew back to the United States.
"It's like men and their cars – you get kind of attached to the old thing," strategic airlift commander Major Gevin Harrison said.
The aircraft had been an integral part of the lives of those working on the Ice for as long as most people could remember, he said.
In its almost half a century of service to the Antarctic mission, the C-141 put in more than 45,000 flight hours as part of Operation Deep Freeze, which kept McMurdo and Scott Base stocked with people and necessary supplies.
C-141s were used primarily for Antarctic missions since entering service in 1965, Harrison said.
Forty-seven United States Air Force staff flew out on a C-141 yesterday – also taking leave of Christchurch and their involvement with the Antarctic programme.
The C-141 will stop in American Samoa to refuel and then spend a night in Hawaii before heading to Tuscon, Arizona.
While the aircraft was a workhorse and an integral part of Antarctic history, it was not the most comfortable of rides, Harrison said. Seating arrangements inside the C-141 is so tight passengers sit facing each other with little room between knees.
The C-141s had been replaced by the newer, larger and more comfortable C-17 aircraft.
Despite its well-worn exterior and squashed interior, the StarLifter would be missed, Antarctic New Zealand chief executive Lou Sanson said. "The C-141s have been an integral part of the New Zealand Antarctic programme ... their arrival changed both the speed and volume of people and cargo that could be moved to between Christchurch and Antarctica.
"It's the end of an era and the passing of a significant Antarctic milestone."
FYI
,,, your own exclusive "ping".
,,, read it slower.
Had the "pleasure" of flying 141s a few times. Great aircraft, but noisy and cold in the back.
Ah yes ~ progress! :)
,,, well, here's the replacement for the long hauls.
I hope the thing at least had a heater...
,,, I see. They're a group of staff returning to the US. More will take their place. I've got a photo on my desk of my son from a couple of years ago. He's standing in front of the US Antarctic Research Program building in Christchurch. They're there for the long term, I'm sure.
,,, around 1pm or so on Sundays, if the sky's clear we see these things coming in from the north east Pacific, over Wellington.
Well, it's 1pm on Sunday, and I don't see anything other than a roadrunner in the backyard...
,,, well, it's 10,10am Monday here and any gun I can get my hands on won't hit that road runner from here.
So did I and most of the time I flew on it I sat in the jump seats. Man was not made to fly sideways on lawn furniture!!
Yeah, and if you had lawn furniture that uncomfortable you would throw it away!
I flew from Tinker AFB in Oklahoma on a C-141 to an airbase in Oman during the PGW. Total flying time was over 36 hours. My backside was numb for a week after that flight.
I'm surprised that Helen let's you have any at all.
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