The Department of Interior, National Business Center, Aviation Management Division, through a memorandum of understanding with the National Science Foundation, Office of Polar Programs, provides support for aviation-related activities in support of United States Antarctic Program (USAP) activities in Antarctica and the Arctic. The Department of Interior administers two primary contracts for the NSF: a contract with Petroleum Helicopters Inc. of Lafayette, LA for helicopter services at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, and a second with Kenn Borek Air of Calgary, Canada for light, fixed-wing aviation support in Antarctica and various regions in the Arctic.
The Department of Interior also provides other aviation-related services for the NSF to include accident investigation management (in coordination with the National Transportation Safety Board) and other on-demand aviation program oversight functions.
During the 2003-2004 field season in Antarctic the NSF supported a remote geology camp and an aeromagnetic survey of a portion of the Transantarctic Mountains between the Beardmore Glacier and Moody Nunataks region. Support of these remote helicopter activities required additional pilots and maintenance personnel above and beyond the normal level provided through the PHI contract. This award provides the additional funding required to support the remote geology projects.
The second element of this award is funding to provide for on-call twin otter services in the Arctic during the 2004 summer campaign for two NSF-funded research projects.
