ANTARCTICA - Operation Highjump
even after the last WU the Arctic is still a tropical ocean, so ice lovers have to go antipodal:
In 1946 the US Navy went to the South Pole big time:
They used C-47 (JATO-assist launchs from the carrier!) and Martin Mariner flying boats to recon the continents mountains from all sides.
Map of the flights (a C-47 made it to the pole):
We have to do a bit of what-if as we have no carrier, no JATO (yet) and no Mariner.
Put the Dakota on floats, bring in the Catalina and - drum roll please- a blue Hughes H-4 (all great freeware).
The Cat over an Ice Breaker heading to Palmer Land:
ANTARCT_HighJ_PBY.PLN (1.8 KB)
The C-47 outbound to Oats Ridge:
ANTARCT_HighJ_C47.PLN (2.5 KB)
The H-4 flies down from Florida first, an incredible experience and challenge (try to land on Lake Titicaca !)
ANTARCT_HighJ_transfer.PLN (4.8 KB)
Then the Big One preps for the Transantarctic Mountains and Mt. Erebus (at the turning point Bing gives up and everything goes white-out…):
ANTARCT_HighJ_Hughes.PLN (3.5 KB)
For effect, pics have been taken near Aerosofts Rothera station (highly recommended)
Lots of opportunities for modders (Little America etc.)
Next one will be the German Neuschwabenland expedition of 1938…