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Immediate Report of Victoria University Of Wellington Antarctic Expedition 1987-88: VUWAE 32

Field Transport

Field Transport

i) NZARP vehicles

Grizzly No.5 was in good order, and already tuned for high altitude when we received it. We had hoped to learn riding skills on the easy slopes at Fang, and be able to drive up Erebus, and so avoid helicopter delays, but the decision was to fly the Grizzly direct to the hut. The helo pilot declined, and delivered it to Fang when he came to lift us to the hut. So at short notice, we tried to drive it up. It wouldn't start (frozen switch), and we had to go up by helo as planned, and then Steve and Brian walked down to try again, and easily rode it up. The Grizzly proved equal to the NSF Bombadier, except it was harder to turn.

12/11/87 Fang to hut. Hut to Truncated Cones and return.
13/11/87 Hut to Tramways rtn. Hut to Summit rtn.
15/11/87 Hut to Upper Hut rtn.page 33
16/11/87 Hut to Cones rtn. Hut to Summit rtn.
17/11/87 Hut to Summit rtn
18/11/87 Hutt to Summit rtn.
19/11/87 Hut to Fang, for rtn to Scott Base by helo

About half a tank of fuel was used per day. The windscreen broke in half when I was trying to secure it while the helo was waiting to take us up to the hut on 12/11/87.

ii) Helicopter Operations

Our put in was combined with K191, and took 3 lifts to Fang on 9/11/87.

I Our lift to the Hut was delayed 1 day by weather. On 12/11/87, 2 cargo trips from S.B. to hut, and then 1 to Fang with the Grizzly, and 2 from Fang to Hut were made. The last of these medivae'ed Garth to Scott Base with a viral infection.

K191 returned to S.B. in 1 flight on 16/11/87. K044 returned in 2 nights, 1 from Fang with the Grizzly, and 1 from the hut.

The initial lift on 9/11/87 was free, and the return from Fang was a backload on S081's put in.