AERIAL ICE RECONNAISSANCE 



During the period 22 January 1976 to 22 July 

 1976, a total of 75 ice observation flights were 

 flown. Preseason flights made in January and 

 February accounted for 14 flights, and the re- 

 maining 61 flights were made during the ice 

 season. There were no post-season flights. The 

 purpose of the preseason surveys was to determine 

 the inventory of icebergs in the western Labrador 

 Sea and Davis Straits for use in an attempt to 

 predict the severity of the 1976 ice season. The 

 objectives of the regular season flights were to 

 locate the southwestern, southern, and southeast- 

 ern limits of icebergs, to determine the iceberg 

 population north of these limits in the vicinity of 

 the Grand Banks and occasionally along the 

 Labrador Coast, and to determine sea surface 

 temperatures along search tracks using an air- 

 borne radiation thermometer. In addition to this 

 routine reconnaissance flights, there were 10 

 flights conducted solely for the purpose of testing 

 and evaluating a Side-Looking Airborne Radar 

 (SLAR) System. It is anticipated that this sys- 

 tem will become an invaluable tool to the Ice 

 Patrol for the all weather detection and identifi- 

 cation of icebergs. 



Table 1 — Aerial Ice Reconnaissance Statistics 

 September 1975 to August 1976 



Month y umber of Flights Flight Hours 



PRESEASON 



In addition, 51 missions and 216.1 flight hours 

 were employed in penetrometer tagging R&D, a 

 media-public affairs reconnaissance deployment, 

 special parts/logistics support deployments, and 

 periodic flights between St. John's and the United 

 States necessary for crew relief and aircraft 

 maintenance. 



Aerial ice reconnaissance was accomplished by 

 U.S. Coast Guard HC-130 (Lockheed Hercules) 

 four-engine aircraft from the Coast Guard Air 

 Station in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. The 

 aircraft used on Ice Patrol were outfitted with 

 inertial navigation systems (INS) with position 

 accuracy of better than ±5 nautical miles. Dur- 

 ing the iceberg season, the aircraft operated out 

 of Innotech Aviation at Torbay Airport, St. 

 John's, Newfoundland. 



