New Zealand Air Force trains for Antarctic crash

Friday, 3 November 2017

The group had enough time to sleeping platforms and other comforts.

Here is the scenario: A New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) jet has been forced down or crashed on icy Antarctica. The crew survived and could assume help was coming. Until then, how will they stay alive?

Answer: They dress in the military's extreme cold weather clothing and then dig in for the night.

Eight members of the New Zealand Air Force dig themselves beds in the ice as part of a training exercise in Antarctica

Eight NZDF personnel cut trenches into metres-deep snow to get away from the wind and, because they had the time, added sleeping platforms and other comforts.

The 'plane' – in fact two parked up Haaglund tracked vehicles – was deemed to be uninhabitable.

The group cut trenches into metres-deep snow to get away from the wind.

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The air force crew were being trained in the techniques of SERE: survive, evade, resist and escape. The Antarctic training this week near Scott Base focused on survive.

In other circumstances, the plane might go down in enemy territory. The men would need to evade.

They would need to 'definitely get away' from the plane, lead trainer Sergeant Ryan Turei said, because the wreck would attract the enemy.

'We teach the priorities of survival,' the 29-year-old said.

The NZDF will fly 11 missions into McMurdo airfield this season – six C130 Hercules flights and five Boeing 757 flights – as part of New Zealand's commitment to Scott Base and the nearby American station at McMurdo.

Flying officer Max Longdill, 23, will land a Hercules on the snow and ice runway for the first time later this season. The co-pilot qualified for the Hercules at 21 and had clocked up about 300 hours.

Flying Hercs was a 'long-time dream', the Aucklander said.

The survival techniques taught in Antarctica could apply in the Southern Alps or mountainous Afghanistan, Turei said.

He also teaches survival techniques for deserts, jungles, oceans, NZ bush and urban environments.

The Antarctic survival kits issued to the pilots, navigators and air warfare specialists had food for 24 hours. If rescue didn't come in that time, the men would just have to ration their supplies, Turei said.

Overnight temperatures were expected to be -18 degrees Celsius, Turei said, 'so pretty warm'.

Scott Base, which was almost due south of New Zealand, had been ramping up since early spring. Tradies have been down to service specialist equipment, the fire service ran lengthy drills and the NZDF had been through.

Stuff journalists Will Harvie and Iain McGregor are spending 10 days in Antarctica part of Antarctica New Zealand's community engagement programme, which allows New Zealand media, artists and other non-scientists to visit Scott Base to learn and report on the work of scientists on the ice.