Cold Weather Mission of the New York Air
National Guard 109^th Airlift Wing

The Scotia, New York, based New York Air National Guard 109th Airlift Wing operates the world’s only ski-equipped LC-130H Hercules aircraft. The Wing supported the Cold War Distant Early Warning (DEW) Line radar sites in Greenland until they were shut down in the late 1980s. Currently, the Wing provides airlift support to the National Science Foundation's Antarctic research program and to scientific researchers in Greenland.

In October of 1999, the 109th Airlift Wing was involved in the rescue of a doctor with breast cancer symptoms who was based at isolated Amundsen-Scott research station in Antarctica.

Jet-assisted take-off (JATO) rockets, like the one shown here, are used to help the LC-130s obtain flying speed when operating on ice.