The first of several ski-equipped LC-130s flown by New York Air National Guardsmen and bound for McMurdo Station, Antarctica, stopped briefly at Hickam AFB, Hawaii, Oct. 17, according to a 13th Air Force news release. The flight is part of “Operation Deep Freeze,” the mission that supports the National Science Foundation and US Antarctic Program by re-supplying scientific research stations scattered throughout the icy continent. Conducted each year by Joint Task Force Support Forces Antarctica, the mission takes place from August through February, during Antarctica’s “milder” weather season. Active duty and reserve C-17s from McChord AFB, Wash., also run supply flights to and from Christchurch, New Zealand, and McMurdo Station. Operation Deep Freeze began in 1955.
Clearing jungle and laying asphalt in tropical heat may not sound like fun to most people, but it’s a way of life for Rapid Engineer Deployable Heavy Operational Repair Squadron Engineers (RED HORSE) Airmen, who have spent the past year or so restoring World War II-era airfields on the Pacific…