NY Air Guard's 109th Airlift Wing sends Airman and aircraft to Antarctica on Thursday, October 17

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An LC-130H ski-equipped plane assigned to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing.

SCOTIA, NEW YORK (10/16/2024) (readMedia)-- Two LC-130s and ten Airmen with the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing are scheduled to depart for McMurdo Station Antarctica, on Oct. 17th in support of the 37th season of Operation Deep Freeze.

Operation Deep Freeze is the logistical support that the military provides to the National Science Foundation-managed U.S. Antarctic Program.

Members of the media are invited to cover their departure on the five-day trip to New Zealand.

WHO: A ski-equipped LC-130 and aircrew is scheduled to take off from Stratton Air National Guard Base, N.Y.

WHAT: Ten Airmen and aircraft with the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing head for Antarctica to support the National Science Foundation's research across the continent. The aircraft will make a five-day trip to Christchurch, New Zealand before they complete their journey to Antarctica.

WHEN: 8:30 a.m.,Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 (Time has been allocated for interviews before the first flight takes off)

WHERE: Stratton Air National Guard Base, 1 Air National Guard Rd., Scotia, NY, 12302

Members of the media MUST contact MSgt Jamie Spaulding by either calling or texting (518) 860-8526 no later than 6 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 17th, 2024, in order to gain access to this secure military facility.

Media Opportunity:

Interviews will be available with 109th Airlift Wing officials to discuss this year's ODF season. There will also be an opportunity to obtain imagery of the aircraft taking off for Antarctica from the base.

Background:

The 109th' Airlift Wing's primary mission for the 2024-2025 support season will be Providing resupply to science stations on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Siple Dome Field camp, and the Amundson-Scott South Pole Station.

Around 400 Airmen are expected to rotate through McMurdo Station from October through March. A total of five LC-130 Skibirds will support the mission from Christchurch, New Zealand and on-continent at McMurdo Station.

During the 2023-2024 support season, the unit completed a total of 114 missions. Sixty-two of those were to and from locations on the continent. Fifty-two were trips between Antarctica and New Zealand.

A total of 1,100 tons of cargo, 1,500 passengers and 68,000 gallons of fuel were moved throughout the season.

The unique capabilities of the ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft –are the only one of its kind in the U.S. military, able to land on snow and ice. They are also the largest aircraft in the world with this capability.

The primary mission of the 109th Airlift Wing is to provide airlift within Antarctica, flying to various remote locations from McMurdo Station. The wing also supports science research in Greenland and provides polar airlift capability to the U.S. military.

The 109th Airlift Wing has been supporting the National Science Foundation's South Pole research since 1988. Since 1999, the unit has been the sole provider of this type of airlift to the National Science Foundation and U.S. Antarctic research efforts.