STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Scotia--An LC-130 belonging to the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing roars down the runway here as it takes to the air en route to the South Pole on Wednesday Oct. 21 as the wing kicked off its 21st year of providing support to science research in the Antarctic.
The 109th Airlift Wing is the only unit in the United States military flying aircraft equipped with skis that can land on ice and snow.
About 300 members of the wing will spend 16 weeks resupplying Antarctic bases operated by the National Science Foundation and Australia.