Survey Report for the Casey-Antarctica Air Transport Project 2003-2004

Taken from the survey report:

Construction of a suitable runway near Casey is a major objective of the Air Link from Hobart to the Australian Antarctic Territory and the main focus of this season's fieldwork. The 2002/2003 summer season's Air Transport Project identified and started construction of a snow capped 'Blue Ice' runway site known as A6 South, located in the Upper Vanderford Glacier (UVG) region approximately 65 km south east of Casey Station.

This season a five-member team was assembled to undertake additional investigation work in relation to snow pavement and to finalise the appropriate aeronautical charts needed to operate a runway supporting wheeled aircraft conducting inter-continental flights from Hobart.

The runway survey work this season had several objectives:

1) undertake further work on A6 South to produce Type A and B aeronautical charts;

2) determine the Runway flow (movement) rates;

3) survey the Taxiway and Apron areas to facilitate their design; and

4) survey the traverse route from Casey to the site to assist in VHF communications between the Runway and Casey station.

Additional to the Runway survey a number of other tasks were also carried out in

support of science programs being undertaken at Casey.

The tasks outlined in the surveyors brief are varied and numerous and are included to provide the surveyor with a full and appropriate work program. The various tasks are prioritised, usually with one or two major tasks and a number of minor tasks listed to be undertaken if the opportunity arises. This season's Survey Brief has been included in Appendix A with a summary of achievements listed in Appendix B.

The following report covers the survey fieldwork undertaken by Air Transport Project (ATP) during the 2003/2004 Summer Field Season. Data collected in support of other scientific programs has been included in this report primarily as a record of work undertaken by the mapping program. These data have been supplied to the various scientists for inclusion in their studies.

Spot height and contour data that were a product of this survey are included in shapefiles available from the Related URLs. The spot heights and contours that were a product of this survey have Dataset_id = 278 in the attribute table.

The spot heights are along the route from Casey to Wilkins aerodrome, in the vicinity of the aerodrome, along the route to Browning Peninsula and from Browning Peninsula to the aerodrome.

The contours cover Wilkins aerodrome and nearby area.

Elevations are in metres above mean sea level.

The surveyor, Aaron Read, calculated the elevations above mean sea level from elevations above the ellipsoid using the EGM96 geoid model.