LC-130 with skis lands on Hickam flightline
A ski-equipped LC-130 Skibird owned by the 109th Airlift Wing of the New York Air National Guard sits on the flightline Oct. 18 at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. The LC-130 is the polar version of the familiar C-130 cargo plane; its ski-equipped landing gear enables operation on snow or ice surfaces throughout Antarctica. The plane also has wheels for landing on prepared hard surfaces. The aircraft is the backbone of U.S. transportation within Antarctica and also provides air service between McMurdo Station, Antarctica and New Zealand. The LC-130 fleet permits Department of Defense support to the National Science Foundation led United States Antarctic Program in a wide
range of scientific research on climate change, global warming, ozone depletion, earth history, astronomy and environmental change. (U.S. Air Force photo by Capt. Ben Sakrisson)