Wilkins Aerodrome

Wilkins Aerodrome is a major summer-only facility. Wilkins Aerodrome is located approximately 70 km southeast of Casey research station and serves as the Antarctic terminal for the intercontinental air service.

Waking up Wilkins Aerodrome for the first flights of the Antarctic season (2020)

Video transcript

For a plucky band of specialist expeditioners, it’s almost the end of their Antarctic adventure.

MATT RYAN: "Antarctica is a very harsh continent… it’s certainly not for everyone. (thumbs up, BBQ roast shot)

70 kilometres inland from Casey research station, Australia’s Wilkins Aerodrome is ready for summer.

MR: "Hi I’m Matt Ryan. I’m the 2020 Wilkins Aerodrome Manager."

For the last few months, the small Aerodrome team has been waking Wilkins up from winter.

One piece at a time in the most challenging of circumstances.

(SOUNDUP – “alright we’ll miss you”)

MR: "Been a busy and challenging start-up this year, with plenty of blizzards and inclement weather to keep us occupied."

CHARLTON CLARK, General Manager of Operations and Safety: "At the start of each season we have a small team in Antarctica that have to undertake a Herculean task of clearing three kilometres of an ice runway in temperatures down to minus 25, winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour, that batter the team for months on end."

But persistence pays off.

And bit by bit, the Wilkins team has reclaimed the runway from the glacier’s surface.

MR: "We’ve got to clear the snow off the runway surface, proof-roll, survey, mark out. Not a small task, living and working in a remote field camp."

(SOUNDUP proof-rolling at dawn)

The blue ice runway needs to be strong enough to land an Airbus A319 or a RAAF cargo plane.

Over the last few weeks the surface has been finessed and fine-tuned.

Now, after months of hard work, it’s all set for landing.

MR: "My team’s done a fantastic job, my guys have all looked out for one another and looked after one another. Looking forward to seeing an aircraft on the ground shortly."

Runway-ready for another busy Antarctic season ahead.

(CREDITS)

[end transcript]

Situated in an area of Antarctica known as Wilkes’ Land, the aerodrome has been sited 700 metres above sea level to minimise the likelihood of melt, as the coast is relatively warm by Antarctic standards during the summer months.

Demonstration flights to Wilkins Aerodrome occurred during the austral summer of 2006–07 and regular passenger flights commenced during the 2007–08 season. The facility operates between October and March each year. It closes for around six weeks at the height of summer, due to warmer temperatures causing sub-surface melt.

Wilkins is named after the legendary patron and pioneer of early Antarctic aviation, Sir Hubert Wilkins.

Aerodrome facts

Location: 66°41'27"S, 111°31'34.98"E (-66.6908, 111.5264)
Strip Dimensions: 3,500 m × 100–150 m
Runway Dimensions: 3,200 m x 30 m (60 m width strength tested and tilled)
Visual aids: single sided PAPI and end lighting threshold, lead in and distance to run markers
Distance from Casey: 70 km
Elevation: 720–780 m ASL
Center line slope: 1.58% down to the west
Cross slope: <1.0% down to the south
Glacial movement: 12 m/year to the southwest
Ice thickness: approx 500 m
Mean temperature: −14°C

Construction

The Wilkins site is approximately 70% exposed ice and 30% snow cover that is less than one metre deep. The foundation of the runway is natural glacial ice, rolled with proof rollers to ensure that the surface ice has suitable bearing strength and integrity to support the aircraft. The runway surface is tillered by a snowgroomer to manufacture higher friction levels prior to each flight of a wheeled aircraft.

Operations

Wilkins Aerodrome supports personnel transfer for the Australian Antarctic Program with A319 flights. The Airbus A319‑115LR is a commercial aircraft operated by Skytraders Pty Ltd from Hobart to Wilkins Aerodrome under contract to the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. Around half of the 500 people Australia takes south each season, are taken on these flights.

Since 2016, the Department of Defence has operated up to 6 seasonal flights per year with heavy-lift C17-A aircraft to Wilkins Aerodrome in support of Australia’s Antarctic Program.

Intracontinental flights operate from Wilkins Aerodrome to ski landing areas that are established seasonally at all 3 Australian year-round research stations. These sites require on-site personnel and infrastructure to operate.

The Australian Antarctic Program also supports other National Antarctic Programs and facilitates access to and from Antarctica. Intracontinental flights are operated to the skiways of other National Antarctic Programs such as Italy, France and China.

Living at Wilkins

Up to eight expeditioners live and work at Wilkins Aerodrome during the flying season.

Extreme weather conditions at the site can make it difficult for a daily routine to become established. There are periods of blizzard, with high wind and blowing snow, when little work can be completed. These are punctuated with windows of fine weather when most outdoors work is undertaken. During fine weather, long work days can be expected. These can be up to 12 hours.

Living in this isolated environment, all team members must contribute to a range of additional duties that are essential to maintaining the Wilkins accommodation and facilities.

Facilities

Wilkins Aerodrome operates as a certified aerodrome in accordance with Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations.

Due to the dynamic nature of the runway, a series of tests are conducted on the pavement immediately prior to any use by aircraft to ensure that prescribed hardness and friction requirements are met.

Infrastructure at Wilkins includes:

Transit facilities
Cold and warm storage
Basic emergency response facilities, including medical
Airfield markers
Navigation and aircraft approach equipment
Power generation equipment
Basic fire fighting equipment
Shelters for:
- aircraft communications site office
- medical services
- meteorological services
- living and emergency accommodation
- light workshop
- storage facilities
Vehicle and sled parking areas
Refuelling equipment
Fuel storage for vehicle and airfield operations

Photo gallery

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A sun dog, which is a meteorological phenomenon light formation at Wilkins runway.

Machinery out on the runway blowing snow off it.

This content was last updated 3 years ago on 9 December 2021.