STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. - Four LC-130 “Skibirds” and about 75 Airmen from the New York Air National Guard’s 109th Airlift Wing began the annual Greenland season supporting the National Science Foundation.
The 109th flies the largest ski-equipped aircraft in the world, capable of landing on snow and ice. The wing conducts resupply missions for American scientific research in Antarctica when it is winter in New York and in Greenland during the summer months.
In 2023, the wing’s Airmen carried 2.4 million pounds of cargo and 86,000 gallons of fuel and delivered 1,300 passengers to science stations in Greenland. They flew a total of 721 hours.
The aircraft and Airmen are currently in the second of six rotations of 75 to 100 Airmen and four aircraft scheduled throughout the summer support season.
The Airmen fly from Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia, near Schenectady, New York, to Kangerlussuaq International Airport in Greenland, which serves as their operating base.