Courtesy Photo | Airmen prepare for the launch of an LC-130 "Skibird" assigned to the New York Air...... read more read more
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STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Scotia—The Airmen of the 109th Airlift Wing wrapped up their support for Greenland science missions in September and then launched aircraft to Antarctica in October to support National Science Foundation research at the South Pole.
From March to September, 109th Aircrews flew 678 hours and delivered 1.3 million pounds of cargo, 32,000 gallons of fuel and 910 passengers to locations across the Greenland ice cap.
The 2021 Greenland support season started a month earlier and lasted into September. Normally the wing finishes Greenland flying operations in August.
The wing added a month in March for additional training at the beginning.
Starting the missions a month early in March, allowed the wing to conduct more training at Raven Camp, the Greenland training location the 109th uses to train on snow and ice landings and arctic operations.
“Going up in March was beneficial to get the initial put in of Raven Camp,” said Major Jacob Papp, the 109th's chief of Arctic operations.
“This allowed us to keep a cadre of instructors and evaluators current to then provide instruction for the following on flight period,” Papp said.
An additional 8- day flight period was added to the end of the season in order to fulfill a National Science Foundation requirement to retrieve a construction team from Summit Station, the year-round staffed research station near the apex of the Greenland ice sheet.
Along with the weather, and flying long distances to austere locations, dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic still raised challenges for the New York National Guard Airmen, according to Papp.
The summer missions in Greenland are critical for providing Aircrews with experience in operating in Polar Regions, according to Pap.
.On October 4, the wing launched the first of three aircraft heading for Antarctica to support National Science Foundation Research from December 2021 to February 2022. The other two planes left on October 15.
The wing deployed 184 Airmen to operate out of the National Science Foundation’s McMurdo Station, flying missions throughout the continent to move personnel and supplies.
The Airmen deployed in October because COVID-19 health restrictions required quarantines and longer than normal layovers along the route from New York to New Zealand, which serves as the final staging area for Antarctica.
Airmen were also tested repeatedly to ensure they did not contract COVID-19.
The 109th’s primary mission for the 2021-2022 support season is resupplying science stations on the West Antarctic Ice Sheet, the Siple Dome Field camp, and the Amundson-Scott South Pole Station, according Price.
The remote field camps serve as aviation hubs and refueling points for travel throughout the continent as well as scientific research in West Antarctica. The Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station is a National Science Foundation research facility located at the geographic South Pole.
At the end of the season the wing’s Airmen will make intercontinental trips from Christchurch, New Zealand to McMurdo Station.
Normally shifts of Airmen rotate through McMurdo Station, and a typical Antarctic season runs from October through March.
During the 2020-2021 support season, the 109th’s Aircraft staged in New Zealand and flew the minimum amount of missions needed to support resupply efforts. These changes were made to control the spread of COVID-19.
Eventually, the 109th Airmen completed six missions in Antarctica during the shortened 2020-2021 season. They flew three medevac missions, transported 148 researchers and support staff, and delivered 63,000 pounds of critical cargo to research stations within the continent.
The LC-130s flown by the 109th Airlift Wing operate as part of Operation Deep Freeze, the military support of the U.S. Antarctic Program.
| Date Taken: | 10.07.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 10.07.2021 10:27 |
| Story ID: | 406932 |
| Location: | SCOTIA, NY, US |
| Hometown: | SCOTIA, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 169 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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