Category An Illustrated History of the World’s Largest Airline

Preparations

By the time the Soviet Union had established its fifth scientif­ic station on the Arctic ice floes in 1955, it was ready to join nations at the other end of the world, in Antarctica, the Last Continent. The first expedition was mounted on 30 November of that year, commanded by the Director of Geographic Sciences, M. M. Somova, 133 years after a Russian sea captain, P. G. von Bellingshausen, had been the first to set eyes on the Antarctic mainland. With Somova was an avia­tion detachment, under the command of E. E. Cherevechnova, who made the initial flights from the base that was to become Mirnyy, and who had the first taste of the harsh conditions of operating from the huge icy land mass.

During the next two years, two more bases were estab­lished, with P. P. Moskalenko and B. C. Ossipov in charge of aviation. In 1958-1959, the airmen encountered temperatures of -70°C but managed to deliver much-needed supplies from Mirnyy to the new scientific station Novolazarevskaya, a distance of 3,600km (2,240mi). In December 1958, an aircrew commanded by V. M. Petrov, from Novolazarevskaya, was able to rescue the crew and passengers of a Belgian aircraft that had made an emergency landing, well out of reach by land from the Belgian Roi Baudouin base about 500km (300mi) away.

Historic Flights

In 1961, an important milestone was reached in Soviet Antarctic exploration. Headed by the veteran of the Polar Aviation Directorate, M. E. Shevelev, two large turboprop air­craft flew from Moscow to Mirnyy. An Ilyushin 11-18 (A. S. Polyakov) and an Antonov An-12 (B. S. Osipov) left Moscow on 15 December and arrived on Christmas Day, returning on 25 January to arrive triumphantly from a 52,800km (32,800mi) round trip on 2 February 1962. The two aircraft were able to deliver supplies and instruments. The An-12 showed its prowess on skis, while the 11-18 made a round trip to McMurdo Sound to help save an Australian mechanic who had become ill.

Encouraged by the success of these flights, two more Ilyushin Il-18s made the long trip to the Antarctic in 1963, carrying members of the 9th Soviet Expedition. Flights were also made inland to the Vostok station, established on the top of Dome Charlie, the gigantic icecap of East Antarctica, where the record low temperature of -89°C was recorded on 21 July 1983. Vostok is 3,488 meters (11,440ft) above sea lev­el, and the ice thickness is 200m (650ft) more than that. It is
1,420km (880mi) from the main Mirnyy base on the coast, and can claim to have a runway that is as thick as it is long. By 1975, the Soviet Union had six permanent scientific sta­tions and some other temporary satellites in Antarctica.

In 1973, the diesel-electric boat Ob, bringing the winter shift to Antartica, was lost. The Nabarin, supported by Mil Mi – 2 and Mi-8 helicopters and Antonov An-2s (they are every­where!) rescued 57 men and 6 tons of precious cargo for the Molodezhnaya and Mirnyy stations.

Communication between the four main ones, Mirnyy, Molodezhnaya, Novolazarevskaya, and Vostok, was main­tained by a small fleet of aircraft that included five heli­copters — Mil Mi-4s in the early years, then half a dozen of

the larger Mil Mi-6s and Mi-8s, with up to ten Ilyushin II – 14Ms, even a couple of Antonov An-2s, based at Molodezhnaya and Mirnyy. These aircraft also provided links to the bases of other nationalities, U. S., British, French, and Australian, in an area where the formalities of international bureaucracy could be dispensed with, politics and their encumbrances having been cast aside by the Antarctic Treaty.

New Route

In 1980, a new route was forged to Antarctica. Previously (see map) the Soviet aircraft had flown the same path as the American and Australian flights, from Christchurch, New Zealand (which boasts the only ticket counter with Antarctica on the destination board); but this had entailed a long flight through Asia. Now, with a special version of the Ilyushin 11-18, the 11-18D, under the command of B. D. Grubly, Moscow was connected by a shorter route, through Africa (see map) made possible by the ability of the I1-18D to cover the longer dis­tance from Maputo to Molodezhnaya — 5,000km (3,100mi) with no en route alternates. This flight, in support of the 25th Antarctic Expedition, made the outbound journey from 10-13 February and returned from 19-23 February. The 45,600km (28,380mi) round trip was made in 78hr 54min flying time.

150 TONS ■ 800km/h (500mph)

Lotarcv P-18T (4 x 113,700kg st, 51,5901b st) ■ MTOW 405,000kg (892,9001b) ■ Normal Range 4,500km (2,700mi)