Hey, Scott, you were up in my neck of the woods! But I was closer to yours... spent the a lot of time in the pattern at POU learning a new plane.

Then you and I were on the ice at the same time! I worked for the program from ‘88 until ‘98. Good to see fellow OAEs here.

I worked at Amundsen-Scott, wintered over 88/89 and 93/94 and summers all the other years.

But wait, there's more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsYYNk-EeJA

An excellent (and recent) YouTube 30 mins. on the 139th (or 109th Wing). My friend (and host today) is Nate Dickinson, the chief pilot interviewed.

Back in 2018 I took one of those form McMurdo to the pole and back for work. On the flight out there was an airforce general on an "inspection" (junket) to the pole and we were chatting while waiting for the the plane. He said that they were getting old and there was currently no plan to replace them, and no other way to get heavy equipment to the pole except by the traverse (the convoy of tractors that drives from McMurdo to the the pole and back 2X / year - hauling fuel and similar bulk stuff).

I don't know if they are still using them, but I think so

But no JATO takeoffs anymore

From the time I worked at Pole, '88 and on, there were no JATO take-offs. They used them at Siple in the 70s/very early 80s, but that's ancient history.

In the early part of spring, before the flowers bloom and the temperatures are still on the cooler side, the airplanes contrail on deck at the Pole.

Most definitely. I don’t think there are any other options, or even real plans for other options.

They practice landings at ALB sometimes, and fly right over my house. (I live about 4 blocks from where the FAF is located for rwy 01.)

Rumor is that NSF wants to close the research station at the pole - which would be really sad. They have restricted access a lot for the last several years, and recently killed the CMB-S4 project which would have involved building some large telescopes there.

I hope they don't do that abandoning the south pole base (and the space station) would in my mind put us clearly on the path of decline.

I'm surprised to see so many regulars here that have been to (and even worked in) Antarctica. That's pretty cool.

I'd be surprised if the US totally abandoned the Pole. There is and has always been a strategic interest in having a presence in every country's Antarctic territorial claim which the Pole sits in. I could see the NSF abandoning the science, but not the US abandoning the physical presence.

The use of JATO bottles were not without dangers.

They lost one C130 in Antartica when a bottle came loose during take off and wrecked havoc on the aircraft in its free path.

https://www.c-130.net/aircraft-database ... ce/USNavy/

Discussed in the video I posted.

Should have watched the whole video

We were at Pole at the same time! You're the Jim Carpenter that remodeled the gym! Small world.