MCCHORD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The capability of the C-17 Globemaster III and Team McChord Airmen reaches to the very end of the earth. And that global reach was affirmed today when a Team McChord aircrew completed the first C-17 airdrop over the South Pole, delivering 70,000 pounds of supplies to the National Science Foundation.

While the C-17 and Team McChord aircrews have been supporting the NSF and Operation Deep Freeze at McMurdo Station for years, the South Pole airdrop was the first step in verifying the performance capability of the C-17, said Lt. Col. James McGann, 62nd Operations Group.

"We're just proving what we already said we can do," Colonel McGann said.
The airdrop was required in order to test the aircraft in the harsh conditions it will perform under should the mission continue.

Crews wanted to see how the avionics systems, cargo ramp and door and parachute deployment shoot perform under the - 40 C temperature the C-17 and crew will encounter above Antarctica's frozen surface.

The flight also helped determine just how much cargo the airplane could safely carry and deliver to the drop zone and the exact route to take, said Lt. Col. Brian Robinson, 10th Airlift Squadron.

The mission also faced challenges on the receiving end at the drop zone.
The crew's drop zone control officer, Lt. Col. Greg Pyke, 97th Airlift Squadron, had to arrive five days before the drop to get used to working in the high altitude (9,300 feet) at the South Pole.

In addition to serving as a liaison between the Air Force and the South Pole community, he also had to train a South Pole crew in charge of recovering the chutes. Communication between all crews was critical due to the brutal weather.

With the drop zone being two miles from the building and "the temperature here around
-30 C with just a little wind, it is very hard to work in it for very long," said Colonel Pyke.

The last air drop at the South Pole was in 1999 with a C-141 Starlifter and each of the pallets dropped weighed around 600 pounds, Colonel Pyke said. The NSF currently delivers rations and supplies to the South Pole via a fleet of LC-130 aircraft. But the C-17 can carry the equivalent of four LC-130 missions in one drop, Colonel McGann said.

"The vision for the LC-130 is that it can be used more for science on Antarctica and less for delivery," Colonel McGann said. "The trick for us [with the C-17] is to maximize the ability to refuel the South Pole."

The airdrop was imperative to establish the training framework for seven McChord-based pilots and loadmasters who can mobilize for an emergency resupply or equipment airdrop, should the need arise.

"If the NSF needs us again in the future, we'll know exactly how to plan it," Col. Robinson said. "It just gives them more options."

Colonel McGann said the ultimate vision is to eventually land a C-17 on the South Pole to deliver fuel and other large items.