RNZAF B757 - Safely back on the ground...Part II

Here, I continue (and wrap-up) my (virtual) adventure, further, to its (happy) conclusion,...🙂...I pick up, where I'd left off, in Part I, been in the Hold pattern at Fix BYRRD (see ND shot below). Through the windshield, I see nothing, except a vast whiteness (see 1st shot), occasionally, permeated by the dim light of the Sun, overhead, or the half-moon, on my side, as my 757 (faithfully) repeats the race-track pattern, at a constant speed (called BEST SPEED on the HOLD page) of 220 knots, LEG TIME of 2 minutes, and an altitude of 4000 feet. After having refreshed myself, with a bit of fuel, of my own, I now exit the Hold pattern, and set HDG towards the NZIR Rwy (generally in the direction towards NZFX (Phoenix Field), as shown on the ND, by the radial dashed-green line, 183 outward and 003 inward), noting that my DEST runway is NZIR, not NZFX. I make use of the Artificial ILS gauge (see screenshot of it, at e.g. DME 18.116, where I'm already aligned with the NZIR Rwy heading of 003 degrees, with the vertical needle aligned with the orange arrow), but descent has not been commenced yet. As the horizontal needle starts sliding down, I initiate (manual) descent. Adjusting, in small increments, the heading (+/- 1 or 2 degrees) and the vertical speed (+/- 100 or 200 fpm), with speed left steady at 150knots/full flap, I keep the two (artificial) needles centered on the crosswire, just as one might do on "real" ILS signals, (see screenshot of alignment on the Artificial ILS signals, at the (nearer) DME 4.430).

Eventually, I get close enough to the Rwy for visual contact with the Rwy markers (and, here in my case, also the unmistakable Rwy outlines and edges of my add-on scenery). See the top-down shot of the plane, as it crosses the Rwy threshold, along the center-line, with the Rwy markers seen just behind it (I have also included a (close-up) screenshot of the (NZIR) Rwy markers, per Aerosoft rendition). I touch down, on the Ice Rwy, and then apply reverse thrust to slow down. So, I'm (finally) safely back on the ground...🙂...And, it's next comforting to line up behind a C-130 Hercules, at the Fuel Station, for a fill-up, which this 757 so badly needs...! BTW, do note the brave soul sitting, outside in the cold, on an oil drum, next to the Fuel Stop office, keeping an eye on my movements...(last shot)...

Now, about the (RW) story, it must be noted that, the (4-person) flightdeck crew of the 757 was highly experienced. The Captain, of military background, was an A-category captain, instructor and test supervisor, who had taken control of the aircraft, himself, for the final approach and landing. Regarding the first landing attempt, that I'd mentioned, in my Part I, "To ensure that the most experienced combination of pilots was used, the captain moved into the left seat to be the pilot flying, the co-pilot into the right seat and the second captain into the observer’s seat behind the co-pilot. The fourth pilot, the captain under training, remained on the flight deck as long as possible before taking a seat by one of the cabin emergency exits...". Recall that it was the (observing) second captain, who, during the aborted 2nd landing attempt, had caught sight of the Rwy markers and lights, to the right of the aeroplane, that paved the way for the next straight-in (and successful) 3rd (and final) attempt.

The RW story would be also incomplete without stating that, in the aftermath of that incidence, the commission concluded that, "...given no safe alternative, the actions of the crew in proceeding below the allowable minima for the aerodrome were appropriate, and that the crew had taken all reasonable precautions to mitigate the risks involved in doing so....". Nonetheless, the commission also recommended re-evaluation of several key factors regarding the risk assessment for (future) use of the B757 (or similar type aircraft) on Antarctic flight operations.

Since these (2013) pioneering flights by RNZAF B757s, landing of (regular) commercial jetliners, in Antarctica, have become more common. In November 2015, Icelandic Loftleidir became the first airline to land a commercial B757 passenger jet on Antarctica for the first time, touching down on the blue ice runway at Union Glacier. Antarctica remains an exotic destination for many charter and pleasure airlines, too, many used for low-altitude aerial viewing only, without any landing involved, on the continent.

Thanks for reading/viewing, and happy flying, of your own...!!