Senators Demand Replacement Aircraft for Operation Deep Freeze

AntarcticaPhoto byJames EadesonUnsplash

New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are demanding that the Air Force upgrade what is called the Ski-Bird Fleet at Stratton Air National Guard Base in Glenville, NY, located at the the Schenectady County Airport.

The planes are old, some up to 50 years, and are reaching the end of their operational life span. The request for a new fleet of LC-130's, which are ski equipped and supply scientific Operation Deep Freeze of the National Science Foundation. It is one of the few planes capable of landing on the ice. They also have rocket assisted takeoff bottles which can be attached to gain enough speed for flight in the thin, cold, polar air.

"The primary mission of the LC-130 is supporting the scientific community in Antarctica by transporting cargo and personnel from the McMurdo Station to field stations and camps, including the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station."

“These planes have reached the end of their lifespans, limiting our aircrews and risking American leadership in the Arctic,” Gillibrand said in a statement.

Glenville airport has a longer runway than Albany International, capable of landing the largest aircraft, such as the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. Anyone who has lived in the area is familiar with the big C-130's bumbling overhead as they come in to land.

Lockheed LC-130Photo byWickipedia

The planes date back to the Vietnam era, and the four engine turboprop has seen service in search and rescue, and as a troop transport, gunship, and cargo transport.