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TEN ROMEO NEWSLETTER NORTH POLE PROJECT, Report 4 September 8, 1986 Dear Friends: First - an apology --------. It is hard for me to realize that just one month ago TODAY, I was over the North Pole! This report should have been to you three weeks ago. If the report were more timely, it would have started off like this: FLASH!!!! STOP THE PRESSES!!!!! ZURABOV CONFIRMS SOVIET SATELLITE READS TRANSMITTER IN TEN ROMEO'S ALBANY TRI-CENTENNIAL TIME CAPSULE DROPPED AT NORTH POLE ON AUGUST 8TH AT 10:24!!! The fact that the Soviet Satellite was in position at the moment of our drop is simply one more of a number of minor miracles which has made this project successful beyond any rational expectation. Delay of this report is tied to a number of tasks with tight time-frames. For example, there were four "EQUIPMENT PERFORMANCE REPORTS" for EQUIPMENT SPONSORS which were priority number one. Then, with local visibility so high, there was a request for static display of TEN ROMEO at the SCHENECTADY AIR SHOW, and I couldn't pass up that kind of an opportunity. Steve gave me my option and being the school teacher that I am, TEN ROMEO was placed in the "general" area - not behind the crowd barriers - where most of the 60,000 attendees could touch, smell, and look into the cockpit. (Hard on static wicks, Bill, but then ---.) Autographs, pictures, and just plain talking with scads of people was delightful. Another real "plus" came out of the Schenectady static display. Don Engen, Administrator of the FAA, was on hand. At the central area, there were two Navy aircraft, an F-14 and F-18 I think, and TEN ROMEO on static display. As I understand it, the TV folks said to Don, "Admiral, why don't we have our TV interview here in front of the TOMCAT?" Don looked at the two Navy birds and said, "You know, I've spent a lot of time in the Navy, but I'm now associated with General Aviation. Let's do our talking in front of TEN ROMEO!" Obviously, in those two days I had a great time becoming acquainted with Don. Media attention, following our return, was pleasantly time-consuming. Radio interviews, (highlighted something a little different on each one) and time spent with reporters was important. AP asked to do an in-depth general interview and seemed surprised that nothing like that had been requested before. Who knows in how many places that feature article may appear? It was also important to work out arrangements for a special "thank-you" to about 40 individuals who really extended themselves in insuring the success of the NORTH POLE project. Walter Taylor, a good friend for many years who owns "BULLY HILL VINEYARDS", really came up with the perfect solution and I'll let you guess how that worked out. More about Walt later. Planning a media blitz through the Mid-west, special paint at Jack Palmer's, several flights for friends - (I always enjoy helping out, Bruce, Ben, et al.) BUT - this apology is getting too long. On with the excitement of flying the North Pole mission! In Report #6, of the "FRIENDSHIP FLIGHT", I mentioned the contact I had with the 109th Air National Guard, who supply the DEW LINE operation. What an outstanding unofficial resource they became for the NORTH POLE PROJECT. Few adventurers to the North Pole in a light aircraft have been as well prepared for survival as Steve and I were. On advice of the 109th, we equipped ourselves with two arctic survival suits, a remarkable tent that conserves body heat for a temperature of 70 degrees with outside temperature of -40, food, water, two "Mae-Wests", and a vest with 14 pockets with something important for survival in each pocket. Training in the use of the equipment, as well as arctic survival, was time well spent. The only survival need not met in Schenectady was polar bear protection. Many years ago a friend of mine lost an arm (and almost his life!) to a polar bear in Alaska. His mistake was leaving his rifle inside his cabin one night. The warm cabin air carried enough moisture to freeze the bolt action next morning while hunting. He eventually broke the bolt loose, but not until the bear was close enough for its dying lunge to severely injure him. (He eventually became US Senator from Alaska.) Polar bears have no natural enemy, and would as soon eat a man as a seal! My brother is a gun collector. It would have been easy to borrow a Magnum, but crossing the Canadian border might have become sticky. Polar bear protection would be addressed in northern Canada. First contact with NARCO regarding the specialized ELT was not made until the Thursday before our Tuesday departure. It was touch-and-go as to whether that unit would reach us before our departure at 8:30 on Tuesday morning. A NARCO engineer flew into Albany County Airport at 4:00 P.M. on Monday in a NARCO aircraft and we had our NARCO ELT-10/CARRIER BURST radio for deployment at the North Pole. A real miracle. Just before departure Tuesday I was involved in a particularly careful pre-flight inspection, and was surprised and delighted to find, on the underside of the right wing-tip, a 109th Air National Guard decal! TEN ROMEO had been parked a number of times on the Guard ramp at Schenectady while I was consulting and training with my 109th colleagues. What a warm feeling that symbolic gesture gave me. Not only had the 109th provided superb survival capability, - they would be flying with us in spirit! Tuesday morning, the 5th, the weather was excellent. Media coverage - TV, radio and newspapers - was extensive, probably due to Mayor Whalen's press release of July 31st. After lift-off, we swung around for a low pass by the tower for a "time-line" fly-by, and the clock was running for the record flight to the Pole. We had informed the Mayor's Office at Quebec City that our ETA would be 10:30, and when we taxied up to the ramp at 10:36 there was a reception committee waiting for us. Once again, the media coverage was extensive. All media interests were met, TEN ROMEO was fueled, Mayor Whalen's gifts were delivered, an enjoyable lunch was had at the airport, and we were on our way to Frobisher Bay. Frobisher Bay is over 1000 miles North of Quebec city, and with 4,000 souls calling this place home, it has all the earmarks of the thriving community it is. However, it is literally on the edge of normal habitation. This is reflected in building construction, which must survive permafrost, driving wind and snow, and an environment that can be vicious and unforgiving. An excellent meal of arctic char at the Navigator Inn was followed by a good night's sleep, and Wednesday morning we had breakfast with Mayor Andre Thenault. What an excellent job Andre did in providing background and information on Arctic life. The morning was well filled with radio and newspaper interviews in Andre's office, and then we went to the plane for TV shots by the INUIT BROADCASTING CORPORATION. The INUIT is an Eskimo company formed just five years ago, and has grown into a formidable communication network through satellites to serve Japan, Canada, and some of northern Europe, as well as the Canadian N.W.T. A copy of "FRIENDSHIP FLIGHT" was requested for use in all N.W.T. schools through the satellite system. We departed for Resolute Bay at 12:49, and 15 minutes out, took a sighting with the Astrocompass. What a shock to find we were 42 degrees off our proper heading! In carefully checking back we realized we should have switched to "true" rather than "magnetic" heading out of Frobisher. We corrected and made our way back to our planned course. The 850 nm north to Resolute Bay gave us further exposure to the beauty of that vast desolation where there is no "night" in the summer, and no "day" in the winter. We allowed our equipment to fly the ILS into Resolute, in spite of the VFR weather, to see how things worked. For the next two critical days of flying, Resolute would serve as our alternate should we encounter unmanageable weather north. With the aircraft on the ground, I determined that between the ground equipment and TEN ROMEO's equipment, a zero/zero landing could be made if required. A good friend of mine - Don Taylor - had told me about the wonderful assistance he had received at Resolute, so it was a pleasure to meet Bruce Jonasson who manages Bradley Air Service. I had arranged with Bruce by phone to have fuel pre-positioned north at Eureka. Over a cup of coffee we reviewed my plans. Yes - they had been expecting us. Fuel was waiting for us up north, and we were registered at the "hotel", a Quonset hut 100 yards behind the operation shack. I mentioned that nagging concern I'd had for the last few months which had not been covered. "If we're forced down on the ice cap, how do we dissuade polar bears from attempting to make a meal of us?" "Mil - I've got just the thing for you!" With that, he pulled out a case, opened it, and there was a 12-gauge pump action shot gun with an 18 inch barrel and a box of slugs. "Throw this in the back of TEN ROMEO, and you'll have no worry about polar bears!" That lifted a major concern from my shoulders! As we visited in the operations shack, an Eskimo family arrived. There was a father, mother, four children, a grandmother, a friend of one of the children, and a Huskie. The Twin Otter a few feet from the shack carried a tent and considerable supplies. It appeared that a flight was in the offing. Steve asked what was going on, and Bruce said, "When an Eskimo family takes a vacation, they return to the tundra for a week or so and camp out. Their supplies are on board the Otter, and we'll fly them to the edge of the Arctic Ocean for their vacation." Since there were seats unused, Bruce said we could go along for the "drop-off". The Twin Otter is a remarkable machine. DC-3 tires with the tread machined off (to save weight) are used for the main gear to facilitate use of unimproved landing sites. Tire bulk slows the aircraft to 135 kts in spite of the two T-6 engines. The pilot was Carl, a Swiss, who had been flying for Bradley for 19 years. Carl knew the family and where they wanted to go. As we came to the edge of the Arctic Ocean, Carl circled once, picked his spot, and the moment we touched down both props were reversed and full throttle applied. The aircraft stopped in less than 300 feet on tundra that was never expected to serve as a landing field! As the family unloaded their equipment, Carl reached under his seat and pulled out a fishing pole. We walked 100 yards down to the edge of a nearby river and in 25 minutes had five arctic char. With full flaps and full throttle, the Otter literally jumped off the tundra for our return. Back at Resolute we found our way to the Quonset hut for the night. The room was small, but the bunks offered welcome comfort following a mighty busy day. The next morning we watched ourselves on TV during breakfast, paid the $240.00 cost of our room and breakfast, and were on our way to Eureka. Eureka is served by a NDB with a range of little more than 50 nm. We made our landing and taxied over to the operation shack and closed down. What a reception committee was on hand to greet us! There are two buildings at Eureka - one on the edge of the fjord and about a mile from the the runway - the other a low single-story military operation structure at the midpoint of the runway. As we climbed out of the plane, a dozen or so Canadian military personnel greeted us. We were royally welcomed (how often do you have guests drop in for lunch at Eureka?) and then one of the greeters said, "We have information requested by our headquarters in Yellow Knife", and he pulled from his pocket an extensive teletype. I took one look at the impressive, lengthy communication and said, "Let's go inside and talk about this over coffee!" The telex repeated accurately the information I had provided by phone the week before to the Canadian Military Commander at Yellow Knife. I confirmed the intent of our mission as stated in the telex, and then addressed the major concerns at Canadian Headquarters. "Is the drop ELT the only ELT aboard TEN ROMEO?" they asked. "No, TEN ROMEO has a standard ELT as part of on-board equipment." "How close to the North Pole will your navigation equipment allow you to drop your NARCO ELT?" the telex asked. "We carry a COLLINS NAVCORE I GPS which should allow us to make our drop within ten feet of the North Pole plus an allowance for wind effect upon our drop chute. Windage will be a variable determined by the altitude of the drop. With optimum weather conditions the drop will be made from 50 to 200 feet to properly select the most advantageous spot to position our deployed transmitter. If we have a weather problem, we will make the drop from the lowest altitude commensurate with safety," I explained. They must have anticipated my response, because the next statement was: "We will assume an ELT transmitting within a radius of 40 nm of the North Pole to be your deployed NARCO ELT. Any ELT signal outside that designated area along your flight plan route we will consider as TEN ROMEO being down and requiring assistance!" At Eureka we were expecting a weather station with only a handful of people. What we found were not only the weather station personnel, but members of the 440th Canadian Air Rescue Squadron, as well as a group from the Canadian Mapping Squadron. (When we returned to Albany, I called Col. Charlie of NORAD to give him a report. "Mil - I called my Canadian counter part and told him about you and your plans. He said, 'Charlie - don't worry about a thing! We'll take care of Harmon and TEN ROMEO!' Having members of the 440th sitting up there waiting for you was really super! When those colleagues of ours say they'll take care of someone, they really mean it, don't they?") Two options were available as we arrived at Eureka. With a fast refueling of our pre-positioned gas, we could be on our way to the Pole within our planned satellite window for the GPS. Or we could slow down, take our time fueling, enjoy the comradery of our delightful hosts, and make the record strike for the Pole the following day. I scheduled our record strike for the following day. There was an additional factor that made the decision to delay easy and appropriate. While in Cedar Rapids for the GPS installation, I learned a NAVCORE I was scheduled to be on top of the highest mountain in France on August 8th. How nice to have one of Collins magic GPS boxes at the top of the world and on top of a famous mountain on the same day! TEN ROMEO was fueled, weather was checked, and we relaxed with a group of helpful, interested, concerned (for our safety) professional colleagues - an experience that upon later reflection was one of the major highlights of the North Pole Project. Our Canadian friends were up at midnight to see us off (there was fog, but it appeared to be as bright as mid-day), and remained by their HF radio to communicate with us until we returned nine hours later. Our weather profile for the Pole strike was not the best, but appeared manageable. A low-pressure area between us and the Pole would have to be crossed. The system was moving toward Eureka at 25 nm per hour. Alert, a Canadian Air Force field 300 nm northeast of Eureka, was clear and would become our "back door" or way out if the weather became unexpectedly complicated. (I had called the Alert commander the night before on the military ground line and arranged for Alert to be our weather alternate.) Departure was delayed slightly to await improved flight conditions. I was unwilling to commit TEN ROMEO to departure until the fog lifted sufficiently to follow the fjord to an altitude clear of surrounding mountains. Once airborne, we were soon in the bright sunlight with a view that took our breath away! The scene unfolding before us was spectacular! The majestic mountains, covered with snow, leading down to the low-lying tundra with dark fingers extending north. And THEN - the Arctic Ocean with its legendary ice glistening in the sun. The constant shifting of ice generates pressure ridges and open breaks that freeze providing an overlay of lines reminiscent, though not as symmetrical, of a giant spider web extending as far as the eye could see! What a pictorial drama conceived and executed by the MASTER artist! How fortunate to be privy to such beauty; how unfortunate so few are able to witness the visual pleasures of this remote part of the world! It was difficult, but necessary, to turn our attention to cockpit tasks. The Astrocompass was used every 15 minutes to check position. The GPS window brought the primary navigation unit to life when expected. The AVA-1OO0 was periodically "initialized" and 300 nm south of the Pole came to life on the Sky Wave of the Norwegian Loran-C chain, as Walt Dean thought it would. The GPS and AVA positions agreed on our location. Our King HF radio allowed us to remain in contact with our colleagues in Eureka, and we gave them periodic position reports. With all systems on line, and surrounded by the beauty of that place, I found myself thinking back over history of the last 100 years. How many men had lost their lives in their quest to reach the North Pole? Peary, Scott, Amundsen, Nansen --- so many drawn by the magic spell of the top of the world to tackle endless hardships. When visiting the FRAM at the Oslo museum I marveled at the dual hull separated by a foot of coal tar protection against pressure of the ice cap. It was Fridtjof Nansen for whom my wife's grandfather had fashioned a suit when he skied out of the arctic alone. (Grandfather Aaness was the tailor in Aandenes, in far northern Norway.) And here I was, sitting in my comfortable "office" - TEN R0MEO's cockpit - surrounded by computers, a satellite driven navigation aid, in the comfort of 60 degrees of temperature and with ample food "care" packages at my finger tips (thoughtfully supplied by Ruth before departure). The pleasure and comfort hardly seemed fair, given the price paid by so many to reach the top of the world. It was a humbling thought to consider the investment of so many to insure this unique experience: the sixteen EQUIPMENT SPONSORS who were partners in making TEN ROMEO the best equipped single around, the advisors who placed specific skills on line to insure TEN ROMEO's success, the 109th and their careful instruction on survival, the special interest and support provided by the nearly 300 on my communication list - a built-in cheering section all my own. And - how fortunate to have a friend like Steve to share in these exciting treks to unusual places! As we approached the Pole, the beautiful panorama became marred by encroaching weather which quickly brought me out of my contemplation. A climb was required to remain "on top", and as we approached the Pole, we were at 10,000 ft. The weather had not moved as expected. Experience indicated the clouds below would be dangerously filled with ice. Yet - it did not seem appropriate to drop our capsule from such an altitude. A descent was initiated into the dark, threatening weather below. At 5,000 feet, icing conditions became critical, and I said to Steve, "This is as low as I feel we can go with any reasonable assurance of getting back on top. LET'S DROP THE CAPSULE AND GET OUT OF HERE!" And that's what we did. The capsule was dropped at 10:24 Zulu, 6:24 local time and we started home. Shortly following the deployment of the capsule, we encountered our first emergency. As we struggled for altitude, I realized we had picked up more ice than expected. Shedding leading edge ice was no problem, but in our climb attitude, a large area of the lower wing was exposed to ice accretion where we had no protection. The controls became increasingly sluggish, the climb rate dropped alarmingly, engine temperature went to red-line, and the oil pressure began to drop. Would the engine hold together? As has happened before when facing an emergency in TEN ROMEO, I wrapped myself in the quietness of intense concentration, unavailable under normal circumstances. Fly the plane - play off climb rate against temperature feel the controllability - check the alternate air. At 9,000 feet the increased engine temperature and oil pressure drop required that I level the aircraft to cool the engine. In five minutes the temperature and oil pressure were normal, and it was possible to inch up to 10,000 feet where we broke out on top. As I look back on that critical time, I know that I had no clear feeling we would make it back on top. And yet - even with the outcome in doubt - I found myself remarkably calm because of two "aces" up my sleeve. First, few light aircraft had ever flown to the North Pole as well equipped for survival as TEN ROMEO. Steve and I could have sat on the ice cap for several weeks in relative comfort waiting for rescue. (That rescue would probably have come in a matter of hours, anyway.) Besides, I knew the 109th was scheduled for an arctic trip on the 9th of August. My "Raven" friends would have dropped us anything we needed while awaiting a Twin Otter pick-up. Secondly, I spoke extensively with Carl back at Resolute as to how to handle a polar ice cap landing should an emergency require it. "Keep a sharp eye out for pressure ridges, and try to avoid them. Avoid, if possible, ice close to open water. Select new ice to land on - it appears darker, is thin, spongy, but tough. Don't stop on new ice - keep moving until you can pull off on old ice for your close down." In the back of my mind I felt there was a better than 50/50 chance that I could land on the ice cap and take off again if necessary. The trip back to Eureka was not the picturesque panorama experienced most of the way to the Pole. Weather had moved across our return flight plan route. Two hundred miles north of Eureka we came to our decision point for changing course for Alert as our weather alternate if necessary. We could see the edge of the weather 40 nm southeast with sun beyond. Alert was clear as we started for the Pole and was scheduled to remain so. We were also reading a strong NDB signal from Alert. The safe/safe decision would have been to divert to Alert, but a careful review of fuel indicated we could proceed to Eureka, make two passes and then continue to Resolute, arriving with a 45 minute fuel reserve. We continued toward Eureka. Just before the decision to continue to Eureka, the AVA went off-line and shortly thereafter, the GPS window closed. Thus - we were back to basics the Astrocompass and dead reckoning. The ADF would be of assistance as we neared Eureka. About 50 nm north of Eureka, our second emergency occurred. The ADF needle seemed unnaturally steady, and upon checking the audio, it was discovered the unit was dead. I called our friends at Eureka and asked if they could take a fix on us from the ground. They indicated, no they would have to be airborne to get a fix. I asked them to stand by, and turned to "fiddling" with my ADF. The unit was turned off and on several times, frequencies were changed, all buttons and controls worked. After 10 minutes of futile "fiddling", I gave the equipment a swat with my hand in disgust, and grabbed the microphone to declare an emergency and ask our colleagues at Eureka to come lead us in. And then, --- another miracle! The "swat" put the ADF back on line! It is unlikely that we could have located, in the marginal weather at Eureka, that postage stamp runway without an ADF, or help from the 440th. However, with the Astrocompass we could have navigated close enough to Resolute to pick up their VOR. Meeting our friends at Eureka was a memorable reunion! We had met the best and the worst that the uncompromising, relentless top of the world could offer. We were no longer amateurs, or uninitiated, and had joined that limited, but illustrious list of adventurers who had been to the NORTH POLE! We fueled and continued toward home. On September 8th we flew 17 hours and covered 2400 nm. Our RON was at Frobisher Bay. After a pleasant visit with Mayor Andre on the morning of the 10th, we were on our way to Albany, and a wonderful reception by friends and media. Obviously, I am not ready for closure on this exciting flight and events following our return, but I've run out of space and time with this report. A follow-up report will complete what I hope to share with you, and will include:
Warm regards to all, and many thanks for your interest and prayers during this exciting project! CHEERS!
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