Aircrews and maintainers from the 109th Airlift Wing, the New York Air National Guard LC-130H Ski-Herk unit in Scotia, took off on 16 October 2012 to begin the unit’s annual support of the National Science Foundation in the Antarctic. Six LC-130s will be on the ice from October through February 2013. About 120 members of the New York Air National Guard will be deployed to Antarctica throughout the support season. The Airmen deploy for thirty-to-sixty days each, working two twelve-hour shifts six days each week, running supplies and people to field camps across the continent and the South Pole station. This season marks the twenty-fourth year that the 109th will support operations in Antarctica.
