New York's 109th Airlift Wing launches annual Antarctic mission

An LC-130 assigned to the 109th Airlift Wing leaves Stratton Air National Guard Base for Antarctica on Oct. 18, 2013. (Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Willie Gizara/Released)

By Tech Sgt. Catharine Schmidt, 109th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard

SCOTIA, N.Y.  - The 109th Airlift Wing kicked off its 26th season in support of Operation Deep Freeze on Oct. 18 as Airmen and LC-130 Hercules aircraft began their journey to the South Pole.

Despite the obstacles each season brings with the extreme weather conditions in Antarctica, crews are always prepared to complete the missions they have set out to do in support of the National Science Foundation.

A total of six ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft will be deployed this year from October to February, the typical on-continent Antarctic flying season.

These aircraft will support the National Science Foundation's research, moving supplies and people to field camps across the continent and to the South Pole station.
About 120 Air National Guard members will be deployed at any one time to Operation Deep Freeze, with a total of about 700 personnel rotations occurring over the entire season.

"We fully expect to meet all the mission requirements NSF sets forth for us," said Maj. Steven Slosek, a navigator who will be part of this year's ODF season, his fifth season on the ice. "It's an extremely remote and austere environment, but the best part about being a navigator in Antarctica is the sense of adventure."

Col. Shawn Clouthier, 109th AW commander, said he is confident the Wing will once again provide outstanding support, no matter what the obstacles.

"Due to fiscal constraints we have been tasked with fewer missions for this Antarctic season,” he said. "However, the mission set is still one of the most demanding in the Air National Guard and the Air Force. Through all of the budget restrictions one constant remains, the dedicated and professional men and women of the 109th will serve the National Science Foundation in the outstanding manner to which they have become accustomed."

After the resolution of the government shutdown Thursday, the 109th quickly geared back up to send down just as many aircraft as in previous seasons, and nearly the same number of personnel. As the season continues, additional guidance from the NSF will determine if the lowered mission tasking will continue.

The unit boasts the U.S. military's only ski-equipped aircraft, which has been supporting the NFS's South Pole research since 1988. Since 1999, the unit has been the sole provider of this type of airlift to the NSF and U.S. Antarctic research efforts.

In 1999 a crew from the 109th Airlift Wing made a daring rescue of Dr. Jerri Nielsen, a staff member at the Amundsen-Scott Station at the South Pole who was suffering from breast cancer. An LC-130 from the wing landed in bitter cold, far earlier in the season than they normally fly, to retrieve the doctor.

In 2008, another 109th LC-130 rescued an Australian researcher who had broken his leg in an accident and flew him to Hobart, Australia, from Antarctica.

109th Air Wing participates in National Disaster Medical System exercise

By 2nd Lt. Colette Martin, 109th Air Wing

SCOTIA, N.Y. (8/9/13) - Members from several local agencies across the Capital District participated in a coordinated National Disaster Medical System Exercise on Aug. 8 and 9 at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Schenectady, N.Y.

The agencies consisted of members from the 109th Airlift Wing, 139th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron, the Albany Stratton Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the National Disaster Medical System, the Civil Air Patrol and the Alplaus Volunteer Fire Department.

During this exercise, patients were stabilized for transport, loaded onto an LC-130 Hercules and evacuated by members of the 139 Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron who were sharpening their skills for an actual medical evacuation.

The patients, participating cadets from the Civil Air Patrol, were moved from the Aplaus Volunteer Fire Department to Stratton ANGB and loaded onto a C-130 for transport.

This exercise highlighted the vital function of the 109AW and 139AES in the NDMS and homeland defense mission as well as the cooperation and coordination between the 109AW and New York state civilian medical and emergency management assets.

This exercise demonstrated interagency partnership between the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs and the instrumental role of aeromedical evacuation in the national emergency response and national defense frameworks.

NDMS is a federally-coordinated system that augments the nation's medical response capability by combining federal and non-federal medical resources into a unified response to meet natural and man-made disaster needs, as well as support patient treatment requirements from military contingencies.

Stratton ANGB is a federal coordinating center whose mission is to recruit hospitals and maintain local non-federal hospital participation in the NDMS, coordinate exercise development and emergency plans with participating hospitals and other local authorities in order to develop patient reception, transportation, and communication plans, and during system activation, coordinate the reception and distribution of patients being evacuated to the area.

As members of the National Guard, the Airmen of the 109AW have responded to a number of state emergencies including Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

This exercise enabled the agencies to practice for future natural disasters.

The 109AW is the only unit in the United States military that flies aircraft equipped to land on snow. The wing provides support to National Science Foundation operations in Antarctica and Greenland and has also flown conventional C-130s in support of operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Ground, air crews keep goods moving in polar mission

by Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service

KANGERLUSSUAQ, Greenland (AFNS) -- It takes more than a skilled pilot, experienced in flying in polar conditions, to deliver millions of tons of fuel, food, people and cargo to the remote science outposts both here and in Antarctica.

The Airmen of the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing deliver that annually as they support the National Science Foundation's research efforts in both polar regions.

The polar pilots face some of the harshest weather conditions on Earth as they travel to places where no other pilots have gone, taking off and landing in planes equipped with skis instead of wheels. But they acknowledge that while they guide the nose of the plane, it takes a team to deliver the goods. It's up to the crews to get the cargo on, off and keep the planes flying.

It's a mission that nearly always puts the plane at maximum load, and the weather conditions place a heavy strain on its components. Crew chiefs, avionics specialists, electricians, engine and hydraulic mechanics, loadmasters and engineers, to name just a few, all work in sync to keep the planes flying.

Many of the skills are passed down from the older crewmembers who have decades of experience. Some have spent more than 25 years working on the same aircraft.

"It's a constant passing down of experience and knowledge," said Senior Master Sgt. Brian Bik, the supervisor of maintenance on a recent rotation to Greenland.

The crews learn each aircraft's personalities, Sergeant Bik said. They know what to look for based on their years of experience with the craft.

Sergeant Bik has been going on rotations to Greenland since the early 1990s, and said he can't remember how many trips he's actually made to the Arctic Circle.

On a two-week rotation, there are more than 20 maintenance troops on the ground, working two shifts to accommodate the planes coming and going. They bring all of their own parts, and are sometimes forced to fix the planes in the harshest conditions. There are no heated hangars to work out of. All work is done outdoors, sometimes in temperatures that drop well below zero. They are taught how to survive on the ice sheet if they have to recover a stranded plane.

The cold weather strains the planes' components, Sergeant Bik said, and the open snow landings beat up the skis' hydraulics. The unit keeps desk-sized heaters to warm the plane's parts to allow crews to work on them.

The crews don't put special emphasis on the planes because of the dangerous mission; they do it because of their routine high standards, resulting in their impeccable safety record, Sergeant Bik said.

"It's just the norm; it's just the way we do it," Sergeant Bik said. "I never want it on my conscience that my lack of doing my job correctly caused the airplane to go down or the loss of a crewmember."

In the air, the loadmasters and crew members provide extra eyes to help in talking the pilot down when visibility is poor.

"It's almost kind of like an orchestra when you hear our approach to landings," said Senior Master Sgt. Shad Gray, a flight engineer who has been flying here with the unit since 1985.

On approach, everyone in the crew is scanning for signs of the runway and chiming in on altitude, glide path and wing level, he said.

Sergeant Gray compared working in the icy environment to the "wild west."

"We're up here on our own, so everything we do, we have to do with what we have in our backpack, what we have on the airplane," he said. "There are times when we're out on the ice cap and something goes wrong and we have to fix it. You don't call in a specialized team to come in and take care of it."

On the ground, almost all loading and unloading is done with the plane's engines running. This makes a dangerous job a little more chaotic. Because of the deafening roar of the engines, all communication is through hand signals.

Leaders attribute the unit's experience to the ability to get the job done safely and quickly.

"After time, you know what needs to be done," said Master Sgt. Carmelo Modesto, a loadmaster who has been flying missions to Greenland since 1998.

On the ice, at thousands of feet above sea level, hypoxia becomes the enemy. The crew exerts energy just to stay warm, and when loading the planes, the problem is exacerbated. Before the servicemembers know it, they are turning gray because of the lack of oxygen flowing through their veins.

"You're in the moment, so there's a lot of adrenaline," Sergeant Modesto said. "Sometimes you have to tap your buddy on the shoulder and say, 'Your lips are purple, you're gray, go get some oxygen.' You just don't realize it. You start to gray out."

Sergeant Modesto said the crews enjoy the freedom of their job, traveling to places where they have only their skills to rely on.

"Normally, you're in the 'system' (and) there's support everywhere," he said. "Things are just a radio call away. When we come up here, we come up with everything we need."

Because of their experience, the crews know what things they need to bring to them through a mission. For example, they keep kits on the planes with nearly every size of hydraulic line that fit the plane. But sometimes, they have to create fixes.

Tin cans stripped of the top and bottom can be used to seal damaged ductwork, Sergeant Modesto said.

"You're only relying on yourself," Sergeant Modesto said. "It's very infectious. You don't see a lot of people leaving here and going to other missions. It's part of our life."

A good day on the job ends "sleeping in your own bed -- not on the ice cap in a tent in a bag somewhere," Sergeant Modesto said.

But that speaks more to the crew's desire to see each mission through. Nothing is more disappointing for them than going through all of the efforts to drop supplies and fuel at a remote outpost and having to turn back because of weather.

"That's definitely one of the bummers," he said. "If we go out to do a mission and we can't do it, they're not calling somebody else. It's us or it's nobody."

Air Guard Wing Prepares for Operation Deep Freeze

Editors Note: Latest frequencies for Operation Deep Freeze at bottom of this post.

By Air Force Tech. Sgt. Catharine Schmidt, Special to American Forces Press Service

Air Force Staff Sgt. Les Gould marshals in an LC-130 Hercules transport at Willie Field in Antarctica during the 2007/08 Operation Deep Freeze season. Gould is a crew chief with the 109th Airlift Wing at Stratton Air National Guard Base, N.Y. U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Stephen Girolami.

STRATTON AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, N.Y. - The 109th Airlift Wing is preparing to begin its 20th year of Operation Deep Freeze, supporting the National Science Foundation in Antarctica.

Two ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules transports will take off Oct. 27, followed by two more LC-130s and a C-5 Galaxy from the 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y., on Oct. 28.

The aircraft will carry maintenance equipment, such as engines and propellers. Crews will spend a few days in New Zealand setting up their base of operations, and then will head down to McMurdo Station in Antarctica to get things going there, said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joe Axe, a loadmaster with the 139th Airlift Squadron who works in the Antarctic Operations Office.

"Once we're established in Antarctica, the first mission we'll do is to open the South Pole," Axe said. "We'll take about 50 people. That first day will be about three or four trips just to get the South Pole going."

This season, financial challenges have lessened the missions required for the unit.

"This season we're doing about two-thirds of what we usually do; we're only doing five [sorties] a day vs. eight," Axe said. "I'm hoping to get somewhere around 8 million pounds of cargo moved at a minimum. Our best season was 14 million. "

Another change this season is a test of new, eight-bladed LC-130 propellers. If everything checks out OK on the test aircraft, it will be added to the rotation, Axe said.

"We're hoping the tests go well and get done fast and it can be proven that the aircraft is more fuel-efficient," he said. "During the testing phase, it will be flying its own separate missions, taking a little bit of cargo and increasing that each time."

Crews started preparing for this season even before last season was finished. They gather information during each Deep Freeze and send it up the chain so improvements can be made for the next season.

"As we enter our 20th year supporting Operation Deep Freeze, the one constant in an ever-changing environment is the attitude of our airmen and their dedication to completing the mission," said Air Force Col. Anthony German, 109th Airlift Wing commander.

"The work ethic required to be successful in the environments we work in is the defining characteristic that led us to being selected as the best flying unit in the Air National Guard," he said.

There are different challenges each season and, this year, the challenges are financial, German said. "We will fly less missions, deploy less people and consolidate jobs in a number of areas, but in the end we will continue to serve the National Science Foundation in the same professional manner they are accustomed to. I look forward to the upcoming season with great confidence in all of our airmen to make this yet another successful season."

Latest Operation Deep Freeze Frequencies

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