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Williams Field or Willy Field (ICAO: NZWD) is a United States Antarctic Program airfield in Antarctica. Williams Field consists of two snow runways located on approximately 8 meters (25 ft) of compacted snow, lying on top of 8–10 ft of ice,[3] floating over 550 meters (1,800 ft) of water.[4] The airport, which is approximately seven miles from Ross Island, serves McMurdo Station and New Zealand's Scott Base. Until the 2009–10 summer season, Williams was the major airfield for on-continent aircraft operations in Antarctica.

Williams Field
  • IATA: none
  • ICAO: NZWD
Summary
Airport typePublic
LocationMcMurdo Station, Antarctica
Elevation AMSL68 ft / 21 m
Coordinates77°52′03″S 167°03′24″E
Map
NZWD
Location of airfield in Antarctica
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
07/25 10,000 3,048 Snow
15/33 10,000 3,048 Snow
Source: DAFIF[1][2]

Williams Field is named in honor of Richard T. Williams, a United States Navy equipment operator who drowned when his D-8 tractor broke through the ice on January 6, 1956. Williams and other personnel were participants in the first Operation Deep Freeze, a U.S. military mission to build a permanent science research station at McMurdo Station in anticipation of the International Geophysical Year 1957–58.


Operation


Caterpillar Challenger machines perform constant runway grooming
Caterpillar Challenger machines perform constant runway grooming

The skiway was typically in operation from December through to the end of February. Other McMurdo Station airfields include the Ice Runway (October to December) and Phoenix Airfield.[5]

The Williams Field snow runway is known locally as "Willy's Field".[6] The airfield is a groomed snow surface that can support ski-equipped aircraft landings only.[5] A cluster of facilities for flight operations, referred to as "Willy Town", includes several rows of containers for workers and a galley. Willy Field Tavern, a bar at the airfield, closed in 1994.[7]

Air Traffic Control services are provided by Williams Tower / Approach (Willie Tower), and by McMurdo Center (Mac Center) when the tower is closed.[5] The McMurdo Weather Office provides weather forecasting for Williams Field while onsite Controllers and Weather Observers provide hourly and special weather observations.[5]

Aviation fuel at Williams Field is pumped in a 16 km (10 mi) flexible pipe from McMurdo Station. Fuel is stored in up to 12 tanks. The fuel tanks, like other structures at the airfield, are mounted on skis or runners for portability.[8] Generator and heating fuel is delivered to the station by fuel trucks from McMurdo Station, with fuels stored at the individual structures.

The extraordinary conditions encountered at Williams Field include the fact that the airfield is in a continuous slow slide towards the sea. Seaward movement of the floating McMurdo Ice Shelf upon which the airfield is constructed has forced Williams Field to be relocated three times since its original construction. Workers last moved the airfield during the 1984–85 season.[9] Subsequently, personnel housed at Williams lived in buildings constructed on sleds to facilitate relocation. In the past, up to 450 people were housed at the airfield, according to the National Science Foundation. In 1994 the National Science Foundation constructed two dorm buildings at McMurdo Station. Transport to Williams Field uses various vehicles including Foremost Delta II and Ford E-350 vans.[10]


Current aircraft in use



Historical notes


Williams Field support structures as seen from the cargo line
Williams Field support structures as seen from the cargo line

See also



Notes


  1. "Airport information for NZWD". World Aero Data. Archived from the original on 2012-09-26.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) Data current as of October 2006. Source: DAFIF.
  2. Airport information for NZWD at Great Circle Mapper. Source: DAFIF (effective October 2006).
  3. Minneci, Beth (17 December 2000). "There's potential at Pegasus" (PDF). AntarcticSun.USAP.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 December 2017. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  4. Antarctic Photo Library U.S. Antarctic Program at the Wayback Machine (archived 2007-02-22)
  5. US Antarctic Program Interagency Air Operations Manual (PDF) (Report). National Science Foundation. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
  6. Lonely Planet Antarctica. Lonely Planet. 2017.
  7. "McMurdo Nightlife". Retrieved 10 November 2021.
  8. Gundlach, Erich R.; Gallagher, John J.; Hatcher, John; Vinson, Tom (2001). Planning and Hazards of Spill Response in Antarctica. 2001 International Oil Spill Conference - Risk Management. pp. 241–248. doi:10.7901/2169-3358-2001-1-241.
  9. Berthing at McMurdo for Williams Field, Office of Polar Programs; National Science Foundation. August 19, 1993.
  10. Stephen F. Nowak (1989). "Resupply at McMurdo Station, Antarctica". Navy Supply Corps Newsletter. Vol. 52, no. 2. p. 2.
  11. "Navy WV-2 Super Connie Crash at McMurdo Sound in 1960". 2005. Retrieved 10 November 2021.

References





На других языках


[de] Williams Field (Antarktis)

Williams Field oder Willy Field (ICAO-Code: NZWD) ist ein Flugfeld des United States Antarctic Program in Antarktika. Williams Field hat zwei Start- und Landebahnen mit etwa 8 m Dicke aus kompaktiertem Schnee auf der ca. 3 m dicken Eisdecke auf dem Wasser des an dieser Stelle rund 550 m tiefen McMurdo-Sunds.[2][3] Der Flughafen liegt ca. 13 km vor der Ross-Insel und versorgt die US-amerikanische McMurdo-Station und die neuseeländische Scott Base. Neben Ice Runway ist Williams Field der Hauptflugplatz für die Luftoperationen in Antarktika.
- [en] Williams Field

[fr] Williams Field

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