Lockheed C-130 Hercules (92-1095)

Can anyone tell me what those are attached to the landing gear? Also, do they retract up into the wheel well? Thanks.

Skis, I believe they stay extended.

This C-130 is based out of Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia N.Y. This ANG unit supports the National Science Foundation research stations in Antartica and the Arctic Ice Cap.

Awesome Shot! 5*

Correct on both counts Jim.

Christchurch International Airport in the South Island of New Zealand is the airport the U.S. Air Force use as a base for their summer program to and from Antartica. This is a common sight during the summer months in New Zealand, along with some Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

Love the Mastodon

In this picture the landing gear is down and the ski's are up for a wheel landing. The ski's rotate to the down position before the landing gear retract and form the gear doors when the landing gear are in the up position. When landing on the skis the landing gear is extended and the ski's remain down. There are two sets of controls for the ski's and the landing gear. The US Navy operated the LC-130 F and R models in the Antarctic from 1959 until 1999 for the National Science Foundation. The NY ANG has performed the mission since then. The NY ANG has had the Arctic mission for the USAF for many years.

They are skis. When the gear is up the skis are extended and then the gear lifted to bring the skis up against the fairings for flight. When landing on skis the gear is extended with the skis already down. To land on pavement the gear is lowered and the skis are retracted. Hope that makes sense. It is a hoot to land on snow or ice on the skis.

The C130's are used for supply and people transport from Mcmurdo Station, Antarctica to the outlying stations. Also to get personnel from Christchurch to Mcmurdo along with the C141. The C5A brought supplies to Christchurch. These aircraft could use the ice runway at Mcmurdo for the first part of the summer season until the ice gets too thin. Then the land runway is used and only the C130's are used.

I was attached to NMCB-71 which built the South Pole Station Geodesic Dome for the National Science Foundation during the 1973 and 1974 summer season. I did not see any C17's at that time however. It is a very dangerous mission to the outlying stations as evidence of the three C130's that crashed at the South Pole alone.

Beautiful pic of one of our ski-equipped C-130s from the 109th wing based in Schenectady, NY. I'm lucky enough to be able to watch them from my living room windows.

This a C-130 with skies and when retracted fit flush and not in the wheel well

The first sqd came out of Texas and ended up in Anchorage as the FIRE BIRDS 17TAS.It later moved to upstate New York. The name came what we used for Take Off JATO assist. You can see the location that we attached the Bottles just fwd of the Troop doors/ just under the trailing edge of the flaps. We had the largest taxiway in the world. Marked the center of the runway with Red Hyd fluid. We had to bond our selves when performing the oms check before arming the bottles. Elmendorf AFB gave the mission to Platsburge ANG back in the late 70's Navy also has a couple.

WOW!!! I got my questions answered plus a very interesting history lesson. Thanks to all. A question for Larry Hinton, what years did they use the C141's into Mcmurdo.