Re: [MBZ] OT - KULUSUK
Another wonderful read. Thanks Wilton. Mike On Mar 3, 2013 5:14 PM, WILTON wilt...@nc.rr.com wrote: 'Been a bit slow this afternoon; 'may be time for another Sondy Tale: KULUSUK By Wilton Strickland In late August of 1978, while I was Director of Engineering at Sondrestrom, Air Base, Greenland, I needed to go across Greenland to do a final inspection of a drainage improvement project at an airfield on the small island of Kulusuk off the east coast of Greenland. I called the dispatch office at the local Greenland Air office (a small airline flying a couple of DC-6's and several helicopters to ferry passengers between many small villages around Greenland). One of the pilots answered, and I asked him if they had a DC-6 flight going to Kulusuk any time soon. He asked when I needed to go. As soon as possible, I replied. He continued, How about tomorrow at 0900 at the Greenland Air hanger? Is that soon enough? That's great; I'll be there, I responded. Kulusuk Airfield has a 4,000 feet-long, fine, compacted gravel runway and was constructed in the late '50's and early '60's by the US Air Force to support a RADAR site (DYE-4) on top of a mountain 5 miles by curving mountain road south-southwest of the airfield. (Parts of the road are visible now in the snow and ice on Google Earth - Kulusuk, Greenland.) DYE-4 was part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line across northern Canada, southern Greenland and Iceland to provide early warning of any attack on North America across the polar area by the Soviet Union. I visited there in early summer of '78 on an informal facilities inspection and orientation that a civilian official at HQ in Colorado Springs had asked me to do; 'wrote a report that I sent to HQ. 'Never heard any more about the report or the discrepancies I noted and recommendations I made. The site was closed and abandoned in 1991. The runway runs east-west just below the base of a mountain immediately south of the runway. The mid-point of the runway crosses a natural drainage swale that drains from the mountain and to the northeast diagonally beneath the mid-point of the runway. Original culverts beneath the runway were often inadequate to handle the heavy flow of water from the mountain in spring. The culverts would often get blocked by ice and cause water to flood across the runway. (I also did an orientation visit there in early summer.) My project was to install additional and larger culverts and enlarge and improve a catch basin on the upslope, south side of the runway and clear and improve the drainage ditch and natural swale on the down-slope side to the ocean. I arrived at the aircraft the next morning to find it nearly ready with a significant load of supplies and several Greenlander and Danish passengers. The flight across Greenland is about 500 miles at this latitude, and was usually flown at about 2000 feet above the highest part of the ice cap at this latitude - 10,000 feet MSL. Our flight was in the clear all the way. I was able to study the many bright, aqua blue (the color of laundry bluing) rivers and lakes on the ice cap in detail along the entire route. It is most interesting to see a rushing river completely disappear into a hole (a Moulin) in the ice. The manager of the grading and drainage project met me at the Kulusuk terminal, and we immediately went out onto the runway and the adjoining newly graded areas. The contractors had done a beautiful and very professional job; I found no problem whatsoever and complimented them on their outstanding work. The work they did that summer is still visible on Google Earth on each side at about the mid-point of the runway. (Also on Google Earth, click on the two photo icons at the catch basin on south side of the runway to view photos of the DC-6 sitting at the Kulusuk terminal. The mountain on south side of runway also visible behind the DC-6.) After walking the area of the project in detail for 30 minutes or more and taking several photos for record, including some of the fantastic surrounding scenery, we retired to a snack bar in the terminal. The Greenland Air DC-6 pilots soon came in and I asked them when they planned to leave for the return trip to Sondy. The pilot was quick to remind me, It's up to you; this is your flight; we came for you; you tell US when you're ready to go. I replied, Well, I've been wondering if I might have time to walk to the nearby village of Kulusuk (then called by its Danish name, Kap Dan). He said, By all means; indeed, you should go. It's not far. Go ahead. Take your time; we're here for you and will not leave without you. The Danish ticket agent overheard us and joined in, Just follow those blue barrels (50-gallon steel drums) out the door and to the right up the hill. By the time you get to the last barrel you can see, you'll see another barrel - just follow the blue barrels to the village. I said
[MBZ] OT - KULUSUK
'Been a bit slow this afternoon; 'may be time for another Sondy Tale: KULUSUK By Wilton Strickland In late August of 1978, while I was Director of Engineering at Sondrestrom, Air Base, Greenland, I needed to go across Greenland to do a final inspection of a drainage improvement project at an airfield on the small island of Kulusuk off the east coast of Greenland. I called the dispatch office at the local Greenland Air office (a small airline flying a couple of DC-6's and several helicopters to ferry passengers between many small villages around Greenland). One of the pilots answered, and I asked him if they had a DC-6 flight going to Kulusuk any time soon. He asked when I needed to go. As soon as possible, I replied. He continued, How about tomorrow at 0900 at the Greenland Air hanger? Is that soon enough? That's great; I'll be there, I responded. Kulusuk Airfield has a 4,000 feet-long, fine, compacted gravel runway and was constructed in the late '50's and early '60's by the US Air Force to support a RADAR site (DYE-4) on top of a mountain 5 miles by curving mountain road south-southwest of the airfield. (Parts of the road are visible now in the snow and ice on Google Earth - Kulusuk, Greenland.) DYE-4 was part of the Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line across northern Canada, southern Greenland and Iceland to provide early warning of any attack on North America across the polar area by the Soviet Union. I visited there in early summer of '78 on an informal facilities inspection and orientation that a civilian official at HQ in Colorado Springs had asked me to do; 'wrote a report that I sent to HQ. 'Never heard any more about the report or the discrepancies I noted and recommendations I made. The site was closed and abandoned in 1991. The runway runs east-west just below the base of a mountain immediately south of the runway. The mid-point of the runway crosses a natural drainage swale that drains from the mountain and to the northeast diagonally beneath the mid-point of the runway. Original culverts beneath the runway were often inadequate to handle the heavy flow of water from the mountain in spring. The culverts would often get blocked by ice and cause water to flood across the runway. (I also did an orientation visit there in early summer.) My project was to install additional and larger culverts and enlarge and improve a catch basin on the upslope, south side of the runway and clear and improve the drainage ditch and natural swale on the down-slope side to the ocean. I arrived at the aircraft the next morning to find it nearly ready with a significant load of supplies and several Greenlander and Danish passengers. The flight across Greenland is about 500 miles at this latitude, and was usually flown at about 2000 feet above the highest part of the ice cap at this latitude - 10,000 feet MSL. Our flight was in the clear all the way. I was able to study the many bright, aqua blue (the color of laundry bluing) rivers and lakes on the ice cap in detail along the entire route. It is most interesting to see a rushing river completely disappear into a hole (a Moulin) in the ice. The manager of the grading and drainage project met me at the Kulusuk terminal, and we immediately went out onto the runway and the adjoining newly graded areas. The contractors had done a beautiful and very professional job; I found no problem whatsoever and complimented them on their outstanding work. The work they did that summer is still visible on Google Earth on each side at about the mid-point of the runway. (Also on Google Earth, click on the two photo icons at the catch basin on south side of the runway to view photos of the DC-6 sitting at the Kulusuk terminal. The mountain on south side of runway also visible behind the DC-6.) After walking the area of the project in detail for 30 minutes or more and taking several photos for record, including some of the fantastic surrounding scenery, we retired to a snack bar in the terminal. The Greenland Air DC-6 pilots soon came in and I asked them when they planned to leave for the return trip to Sondy. The pilot was quick to remind me, It's up to you; this is your flight; we came for you; you tell US when you're ready to go. I replied, Well, I've been wondering if I might have time to walk to the nearby village of Kulusuk (then called by its Danish name, Kap Dan). He said, By all means; indeed, you should go. It's not far. Go ahead. Take your time; we're here for you and will not leave without you. The Danish ticket agent overheard us and joined in, Just follow those blue barrels (50-gallon steel drums) out the door and to the right up the hill. By the time you get to the last barrel you can see, you'll see another barrel - just follow the blue barrels to the village. I said with a smile, Just follow the blue-barrel road, huh? The agent responded, Yes, Dorothy. The Wizard of Oz
