BUILDING DYE-2

 

 

Photo by Bill Nichols, 61st TCS, 1959

Airlift to the DYE site was not without incident.  Several of the aircraft had their nose gear and nose ski damaged during landings on the ice cap.  Although the cap looks perfectly smooth, hard "sastrugi" ridges criss-cross the surface.  This accident occurred when the nose ski struck a large hard sastrugi ridge.  After this event, the contractors at the DYE sites were obliged to bulldoze and drag landing areas to insure smoother, sastrugi free, areas for landing.  The aircraft was eventually repaired and flown back to the Lockheed factory in Georgia for complete repairs.  (Bill Nichols)

 

 

 

 

Photograph by Lt. Col. Wilbert Turk, 1959

 

Another view of 70-490, named the “Es-Ki-Mo Special” by crews of the 61st Troop Carrier Squadron.

 

 

 

 

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