MCCHORD FIELD, Wash. - Ten 446th Airlift Wing Reservists, and 17 active-duty Airmen depart McChord Field Aug. 16 in the first phase of the 2014-2015 Operation Deep Freeze.
The WinFly phase of ODF delivers advance teams and cargo for the upcoming main season of the National Science Foundation's U.S. Antarctic program and runs from Aug. 16-26.
The McChord Field Airmen will travel to Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, before arriving at Christchurch, New Zealand, where they will stage from for flights to Antarctica.
ODF is an unique U.S. military peacetime operation where Airmen based out of Christchurch, New Zealand, must work in the harsh Antarctic environment. The Air Force is specially equipped with trained and experienced personnel to operate in these austere conditions and have provided support to NSF since 1955.
Landing 15 miles from McMurdo on the ice runway known as Pegasus, the C-17s will carry in scientists and support personnel to start early pre-summer projects, to augment maintenance personnel, and to prepare ski ways and ice runways at McMurdo.
Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, led by Pacific Air Forces at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, is scheduled to begin the ODF main season at the end of September.
McChord Field has participated in ODF since 1983 using the C-141B Starlifter. The 446th AW got involved in 1995. The first C-17 trial for use to support ODF was Oct. 15, 1999.
ODF is divided into three seasons, WinFly, Main Body and Winter. It involves active duty and Reserve C-17 support from McChord, LC-130 support from the New York Air National Guard and other aircraft necessary to support the mission; U.S. Coast Guard icebreakers and the U.S. Navy Cargo Handling Battalion One to provide critical port services at McMurdo Station.