FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1950
1950 - 2223.PDF
606 FLIGHT, 21 December 1950 ANTARCTIC AUSTERS R.A.F. Unit's Part in the Anglo-Scandinavian Expedition : An Account by the CO. Sheltered by grimly beautiful ice-cliffs: the two Mk.6 Austers at the Queen Maud Land base. A YEAR ago a scientific expedition sponsored by the Nor-wegian, British and Swedish Governments and supportedby the Royal Geographical Society, the Scott Polar Re- search Institute, the Norwegian Polar Institute, and the Swedish Geographical Society, left Europe for a two-year stay in Queen Maud Land, an unexplored tract of the Antarctic, lying between latitudes 20 deg west and 45 deg east. Part of the British contribution to the expedition was the provision of a detachment of the R.A.F., comprising two officers (S/L. G. B. Walford, and F/L. H. M. H. Tudor, D.F.C.), three non-commissioned officers (Sgt. P. D. Weston, B.E.M., Cpl. L. A. Quar, and Cpl. W. D. Gilbey), and two Auster 6 aircraft. Their function was to provide aerial reconnaissance in the search for a passage through the pack-ice, for a landing place on the Antarctic ice-shelf, and for advance bases on the main- land. Having satisfactorily completed its work, the flight returned to the United Kingdom last March, as recorded in Flight at the time. Cpl Quar remained behind to act as radio operator for the expedition. The following extracts from notes by S/L. Walford describe conditions and difficulties encountered between the period of departure from London and the eventual departure from Antarctica. S/L. Watford's Story Antarctica, the highest, coldest and most remote land in theworld, is known to contain the answers to many questions of geographical and scientific concern. Observations over 100years of the Arctic regions have shown that conditions there are getting warmer. The pack-ice is receding and vegetation isgrowing farther and farther north. An increase in solar activity is believed to be responsible for this change. But what intereststhe glaciologist is whether this warming-up process covers the whole world, and the logical place to pursue the investigations is in the Antarctic This is the theme which inspired the plan-ning of the expedition. Glaciology, the study of the movement and behaviour of ice, therefore headed the scientific programme ofwork, which included geology, survey, physics and meteorology. The plan was that a party of some fifteen scientists, drawn inequal numbers from the three participating countries, should be deposited in Queen Maud Land, the Norwegian sector t: theAntarctic, where they would remain for two and a half years. The vessel which would carry them there would, however,return to Europe at the end of the first season, and sail south again the following year. No landing had ever been made in this rather inaccessiblesector of the Antarctic. Nature does much to deter the visitor, surrounding it with great obstacles. First, the world's mosttempestuous ocean must be crossed, next there stretches the unpredictable barrier of pack-ice, and then there remains theinsecurity of the continental ice and sudden and violent gales. Pack-ice surrounds the shores even in the short summer seasonof December to March and its behaviour is so erratic and knowledge of it is so incomplete that it is impossible to forecastwhen or where penetration may best be attempted. It was appreciated early in the planning stages that aircraftwould be invaluable, if not essential, to the search for a suitable landing place. The expedition received offers from many differ-ent quarters for this purpose, but Royal Air Force participation was secured as a result of the great interest of the Chief of theAir Staff; he is, incidentally, a member of the council of the Royal Geographical Society. The R.A.F. Antarctic Flight wasformed in the spring of 1949 and we set about the first stage of our adventures—the planning. After examination of varioustypes of aircraft it was agreed that the Auster 6 appeared to satisfy all requirements. The problem at this stage resolved itself into the following: - - (1) How to get two aircraft, a spare one being essential, onto the deck cf a small 600-ton sealing vessel already loaded to the brim with expedi-tion material. (2) How to protect these aircraftfrom the effects of 8,000 miles of varying weather and yet beable to operate them from the ship at short notice down southwhen required either as ski planes or float planes. (3) How to ensure that they wouldwork reliably in low tempera- tures, and(4) How to avoid getting lost when flying over the featureless pack-and shelf-ice. The solution to these problems ofstowage and handling was due in large measure to the ingenuity and persist-ence of the staff of Auster Aircraft, The R.A.F. ensign flies for the first time in the Antarctic. The commanding officer, S/L Walford, is on the extreme left, with Sgt. Weston, FjL. Tudor, Cpl. Quar and Cpl. Gilbey on his right. . v
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
