4 ms·

What would be nice to know is if the 767 shown in the photos is typical for the aircraft using this airport? I can't imagine that they need the plane's passenge

by rob74 6y ago

What would be nice to know is if the 767 shown in the photos is typical for the aircraft using this airport? I can't imagine that they need the plane's passenger capacity (~200), but maybe they use it for cargo? Also, if they want to make the trip from Cape Town and back without refueling, they probably need a widebody airplane (EDIT: according to the aircraft's page, it's even an "Extended Range" model)...

icegreentea2 6y ago
I might be the start/end of season transfer? Wiki says Troll station has ~40 summer staff (and 6 winter). The combination of range, cargo, and the awkward amount of people probably makes something like a 767 pretty reasonable.
- londons_explore 6y ago
  To take all the cargo for 40 people to live there probably involves many trips of a 767 each year. Just bringing in the fuel for the generators to keep everything heated and lit for a year is probably the cargo capacity for a 767. That stuff would normally move by ship to other continents, but with no nearby port, I guess everything is moved by air.
  - mauvehaus 6y ago
    TFA says fuel is delivered to the nearest port and brought in with tracked vehicles pulling it in 200l drums on sledges. The cost is commensurate with the length of the supply chain. They prefer it if planes can fly in with enough fuel to fly back home unrefueled for that reason among others.
mattlondon 6y ago
When I flew down to the Antarctic peninsula from Chile in 2016 we went on a BAe 146 I think (1) The explanation given was that it had landing gear that was toughened for rough airstrips, had a relatively short takeoff, and the 4 high-mounted engines were good for landing in snow/ice and offered good redundancy. It felt pretty cramped on the inside compared to "normal" planes, especially when wearing all your cold weather gear during the flight (you stepped off right onto the snow - no airport buildings) 1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_146 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_146
phire 6y ago
I assume it's been selected entirely for range. All narrow body aircraft only have enough range to do a one-way flight. The 767-300ER can land, do a return flight and have plenty of fuel left over for reserves.

by rob74 6y ago

icegreentea2 6y ago

I might be the start/end of season transfer? Wiki says Troll station has ~40 summer staff (and 6 winter). The combination of range, cargo, and the awkward amount of people probably makes something like a 767 pretty reasonable.

londons_explore 6y ago
To take all the cargo for 40 people to live there probably involves many trips of a 767 each year. Just bringing in the fuel for the generators to keep everything heated and lit for a year is probably the cargo capacity for a 767. That stuff would normally move by ship to other continents, but with no nearby port, I guess everything is moved by air.
- mauvehaus 6y ago
  TFA says fuel is delivered to the nearest port and brought in with tracked vehicles pulling it in 200l drums on sledges. The cost is commensurate with the length of the supply chain. They prefer it if planes can fly in with enough fuel to fly back home unrefueled for that reason among others.

mattlondon 6y ago

When I flew down to the Antarctic peninsula from Chile in 2016 we went on a BAe 146 I think (1) The explanation given was that it had landing gear that was toughened for rough airstrips, had a relatively short takeoff, and the 4 high-mounted engines were good for landing in snow/ice and offered good redundancy. It felt pretty cramped on the inside compared to "normal" planes, especially when wearing all your cold weather gear during the flight (you stepped off right onto the snow - no airport buildings) 1 - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_146 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Aerospace_146

phire 6y ago

I assume it's been selected entirely for range. All narrow body aircraft only have enough range to do a one-way flight. The 767-300ER can land, do a return flight and have plenty of fuel left over for reserves.