Conrad Shinn Was First Ice Pilot

The Ice Eagle: Conrad Shinn and the Day He Tamed the South Pole

On 31 October 1956, a United States Navy aeroplane performed what many considered impossible. It descended from the vast, empty sky and touched down at the planet's southernmost point. Piloted by Lieutenant Commander Conrad "Gus" Shinn, the flight was more than a record-breaking moment; it was the key that opened the Antarctic continent to science and solidified a strategic foothold in the iciest theatre of the Cold War. Shinn, a figure of quiet courage and immense skill, recently passed away at the age of 102. He left behind a legacy forged in the planet's most extreme environment, a story of adventure, ingenuity, and the sheer will to fly where no one had landed before. His actions that day paved the way for decades of discovery.

An Adventurer from the Start

Conrad Selwyn Shinn entered the world in a small North Carolina mill town on 12 September 1922. From a young age, he was captivated by the pioneering aerial achievements of flyers like Charles Lindbergh. This fascination with flight set the course for his life. Shinn pursued aeronautical engineering studies before the Second World War called him to service. He enlisted in the US Navy in 1942, earning his commission the following year and spending the war evacuating wounded soldiers by air from Pacific battlefronts. After the conflict, a posting in the Washington, D.C., area flying high-ranking officers failed to fulfill his innate desire for thrilling experiences. When a superior officer presented the opportunity to travel to Antarctica, a continent he knew virtually nothing about, his answer was immediate. He later explained it was simply a new destination to explore.

A First Taste of the Ice

Shinn's first taste of the Antarctic came during 1946 and 1947. He took part in an ambitious mission named Operation Highjump. This was a massive undertaking, the largest naval expedition to the continent at the time, involving thousands of personnel, ships, and aircraft. The officially stated goals were to train personnel and test equipment in the extreme cold. Unofficially, it sought to bolster American sovereignty over a large portion of the landmass. Shinn flew missions to create photographic maps, crisscrossing the desolate landscape while a camera captured images of the unknown interior. The experience provided him with invaluable skills in polar aviation, preparing him for the even greater challenge that lay ahead.

A Continent in the Cold War

The mid-1950s were a period of profound global anxiety. The Cold War, which pitted the United States against the Soviet Union, cast a long shadow across the globe. This tension extended to the planet's most remote continent. Antarctica, with its tactical polar location, became an area of quiet concern. There were fears that the vast, unclaimed territory could become a theatre for military posturing or even a launch point for an offensive. Both superpowers, along with other nations, began establishing a presence, leading to diplomatic disputes and a "scramble for Antarctica." This geopolitical backdrop formed a crucial part of the motivation for America's next major polar initiative.

Science Amidst Suspicion

Amid the Cold War's chill, a beacon of international cooperation emerged: the International Geophysical Year (IGY). Planned for 1957-58, this collaborative scientific effort involved 67 countries aiming to investigate the planet's properties, from the oceans to the atmosphere. Antarctica was a primary focus. The United States committed significant resources to this endeavour through an initiative known as Operation Deep Freeze. This multi-year US military mission had the immense task of providing the logistical support to establish permanent scientific bases on the continent, including one at the geographic South Pole itself. Shinn, with his prior polar experience, was among the first pilots to volunteer.

The Man with a Mission

A seasoned Antarctic veteran, Rear Admiral George J. Dufek had served on expeditions since 1939. As the commander of Task Force 43, the military component of Operation Deep Freeze, he was the driving force behind the push toward the pole. Dufek understood that a permanent presence in the Antarctic interior was not just a scientific imperative but a tactical one. He wrote of the necessity of assessing the continent's potential as a strategic base in wartime. His leadership was crucial in navigating the immense logistical and political challenges of the mission. It was his determination that ensured the plan to touch down with an aeroplane on the South Pole moved from a daring idea to a concrete objective.

Image Credit - Pensacola News Journal

'Que Sera Sera': The Chosen Aeroplane

The aircraft selected for the historic mission was a US Navy R4D-5L Skytrain, the military's variant of the robust Douglas DC-3. This particular aeroplane was nicknamed 'Que Sera Sera', from a popular song, a fitting name for a mission venturing into such profound unknowns. Specially modified for the harsh Antarctic conditions, its wheels were replaced with large skis to land on the frozen surface. Crucially, the fuselage was fitted with a sequence of compact rockets. This system, known as Jet-Assisted Take-Off (JATO), was designed to provide extra thrust in difficult conditions, a modification that would prove absolutely essential for leaving the pole.

Tensions Before Takeoff

The undertaking was not without internal friction. The selection of the flight crew for such a high-profile assignment was a delicate matter. Captain William "Trigger" Hawkes was chosen as the co-pilot for the momentous flight. This decision deeply upset another senior officer, Captain Douglas Cordiner, who felt he deserved the position. Shinn later recounted that Cordiner was "really livid" about the choice. The tension was palpable. In a dramatic display of frustration, Cordiner later went to the deck of a vessel in New Zealand and threw his entire collection of Antarctic books into the sea. Despite the friction, the mission proceeded with its determined crew.

Journey to the Bottom of the World

On 31 October 1956, 'Que Sera Sera' departed from the American base at McMurdo Sound for the journey to the pole. The crew was comprised of seven men. In addition to Shinn, Admiral Dufek, and co-pilot Hawkes, the group included navigator Lieutenant John Swadener, radioman Petty Officer William Cumbie Jr., and crew chief Petty Officer John Strider. Captain Cordiner was also aboard. The journey across the vast polar plateau was a seven-hour ordeal over a featureless white expanse. Navigating with a sun compass, Swadener guided them south over immense glaciers and mountains towards a point on the map never before reached by aeroplane.

An Escort in the Sky

As 'Que Sera Sera' made its approach, it was not alone. A much larger US Air Force C-124 Globemaster circled high above. This cargo aeroplane was a crucial part of the mission's safety plan. It carried pallets loaded with survival gear, ready for airdrop in the event Shinn's smaller aircraft encountered trouble and was unable to take off. Onboard the Globemaster was a group of reporters, including an 18-year-old Australian journalist for United Press, Maurice Cutler. From his vantage point, Cutler witnessed and photographed the historic landing, typing out his dispatch on a small typewriter balanced on his lap as the unpressurised aircraft circled in the freezing air.

Touchdown on Unseen Territory

At 8:34 p.m. local time, Conrad Shinn guided the ski-equipped aeroplane onto the ice. The landing, captured in photographs from the circling Globemaster, was not especially rough but was still a jarring arrival on the wind-blown ridges of the polar plateau. The aircraft came to a stop on a barren sheet of ice at an altitude of almost 10,000 feet. The outside temperature was a brutal -51 degrees Celsius. With this landing, the seven men aboard were the first humans to stand on the South Pole's surface in over four decades, and they were also the initial group in history to arrive via aeroplane.

Forty-Nine Minutes of History

The moment the aeroplane halted, Admiral Dufek stepped out onto the ice, becoming the first individual to stand at the pole since Robert Falcon Scott's ill-fated party in 1912. He firmly drove an American flag into the snow, a symbolic act broadcast to the world. The crew's stay on the frozen surface was brief and intensely focused. Their time on the ice lasted a scant 49 minutes. Shinn, ever the pilot, kept the engines of 'Que Sera Sera' running continuously. He knew the brutal cold could freeze them solid, and the real challenge—taking off—was still to come. The risk of becoming permanently stranded was immense.

Frozen to the Surface

Shinn’s caution was well-founded. When the time came for departure, the aeroplane would not move. In the rarefied atmosphere of the high-altitude plateau, the engines struggled to generate their full power. Worse, the heat from the aeroplane's large metal skis had momentarily melted the snow beneath them, which then instantly refroze, cementing the aircraft to the polar surface. Shinn pushed the throttles to full power, but the 13-tonne machine remained motionless. He later described the predicament, stating they were simply stuck on the frozen surface, "like an old mud hen." The dream of a triumphant flight was perilously close to becoming a polar catastrophe.

A Fiery Departure

With the engines powerless to break the aeroplane free, Shinn turned to his last resort: the JATO rockets. One by one, he fired the 15 solid-fuel canisters affixed to the plane's body. Each rocket provided a burst of crucial thrust. The aeroplane shuddered and strained against the ice. Finally, after all the rockets were discharged, 'Que Sera Sera' broke free and clawed its way into the thin, frigid air. It was a close call. Shinn later revealed they had become airborne at just 58 miles per hour, two miles per hour below the aircraft's specified minimum takeoff velocity.

Coolness Under Pressure

During the return flight to McMurdo, a warning indicator for the oil pressure in the engine illuminated on the instrument panel. Such a light would be a cause for concern on any flight, but over the desolate Antarctic interior, it signalled a potential disaster. Rather than allowing the glowing red light to cause alarm, particularly for Admiral Dufek, Shinn acted with characteristic calm. He simply removed the bulb from its housing. He calmly told his co-pilot that he preferred the admiral not witness it and become alarmed. This small act perfectly encapsulated the unflappable nature required of pilots in such an unforgiving environment.

On the Shoulders of Giants

The first human to reach the geographic South Pole was the Norwegian adventurer, Roald Amundsen, who arrived with his team and dog sleds on 14 December 1911. A little more than a month after, on 17 January 1912, the British party led by Captain Robert Falcon Scott reached the same spot, only to find Amundsen’s flag already there. Their journey had been an arduous mix of motorised sledges, animal transport, and man-hauling. Scott and his four companions tragically perished from starvation and exposure on their devastating return journey.

Unlocking a Continent

The successful round trip of 'Que Sera Sera' was a watershed moment. It proved that establishing a permanent inland station on the South Pole was feasible and could be sustained entirely by air. This capability was the critical missing piece for long-term scientific research in the continent's interior. The flight immediately gave the green light for the next phase of Operation Deep Freeze. Within weeks, US Navy construction teams, known as Seabees, began the monumental task of airlifting materials to the pole for the construction of the first permanent scientific outpost, a feat made possible by Shinn's pioneering flight.

Building a Home on the Ice

Following Shinn's landing, construction of the first base at the South Pole began in earnest in November 1956. The first contingent of 18 US Navy personnel worked through the Antarctic summer to build the station, and they were the first individuals to winter over at the pole in 1957. Named the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in honour of the two pioneering explorers, this original base was designed for the International Geophysical Year. Over the decades, the station has been rebuilt and expanded multiple times to combat snow burial and to accommodate increasingly sophisticated scientific research, evolving into the world-class facility that exists today.

A Study in Contradictions

Conrad Shinn the aviator was a figure of interesting dualities. He possessed the daring and adventurous spirit necessary to volunteer for some of the planet's most dangerous flying assignments. Yet, his family recalled him as an individual for whom safety was a paramount value, occasionally taken to an excessive degree. His daughter, Diane Shinn, recounted a memorable car journey in 1973. Especially worried about the risks on two-lane roads, Shinn insisted that both he and his daughter wear motorcycle helmets inside the car for the trip. The image of them driving along, looking as though they were in an aeroplane cockpit, reveals a man deeply conscious of risk, a trait that undoubtedly kept him and his crews safe in the skies over Antarctica.

Life After the Pole

Conrad Shinn retired from the US Navy in 1963 and settled in Pensacola, Florida, where he lived for most of the next six decades. He and his wife, Gloria, raised three children. He remained connected to his Antarctic legacy, often visiting 'Que Sera Sera' at its home in Pensacola's National Naval Aviation Museum. In his later years, his family shared that when questioned about the historic landing, he had a clever reply. He would state that he was the first aviator to touch down on the South Pole's surface, adding with a smile that he was also "the first to take off."

Conrad Shinn passed away on 15 May in Charlotte, North Carolina. His death at 102 closes a remarkable chapter in the history of aviation and exploration. His name is immortalised on the continent he helped to open up, with Mount Shinn, the third-highest peak in Antarctica, named in his honour. His one flight, lasting just a few hours with a short 49-minute stop on the ice, had an impact that has lasted for generations. It transformed the geographic South Pole from an almost mythical point on a map into a viable hub of human presence and scientific inquiry, a legacy of courage and skill at the planet's southernmost extreme.