An LC-130 at South Pole. When these
planes are unloading and loading, they never turn off their engines.
They might not be able to start them again if they do. (I presume
they do shut off their engines if they are significantly delayed, of
course. I'm sure there are procedures for warming the aircraft back
up. They just aren't usually worth the effort.)
Almost everything -
material, personnel, fuel - is brought to the Pole by LC-130s,
though occasionally a few Baslers (a modified DC-3), Twin Otters,
and - rarely - overland transport bring in people and supplies. But
the LC-130 is the workhorse.
Nov 2007