As the Cold War dawned, U.S. military planners recognized that the “top of the world” that separated the Soviet Union and USA might be a potential battleground. Understanding capabilities in this region became paramount, fostering a number of activities. This 1952 U.S. Navy film shows one of them — Operation Ski Jump II, which was a sequel to operations conducted in 1951 where 12 landings were made by aircraft on the arctic ice. The purpose of these tests was to establish how landings strips could be built, and heavy aircraft operated in the arctic, both maintained, and performing landings and take-offs. Ski-wheel installations were made on two Lockheed Neptune P2Vs, and a “flying laboratory” R4D support aircraft, by staff at the Navy base at Patuxent River, Maryland. These aircraft then transited to Point Barrow, Alaska (home of the Arctic Research Laboratory, Office of Naval Research) and then flown into the frozen north. The mission also included the building of a number of oceanographic research stations to assess sea ice conditions (as seen at 9:40).
At 14:22, one of the P2Vs is seen slightly damaged on landing on a short strip, and as a result of difficult ice conditions. At 16:00, the R4D is seen crashed on the ice after “running out of luck” on a take-off. The aircraft was abandoned and the crew rescued by the P2V. After the accident no more oceanographic research stations were established but surveys of ice conditions were made in the arctic including Greenland and the North Pole.
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