The 109th Airlift Wing, the New York Air National Guard unit at Scotia, kicked off its twenty-sixty season in support of Operation Deep Freeze on 18 October 2013 as Airmen and their LC-130 Ski-Herks began the journey to the South Pole. A total of six ski-equipped LC-130H aircraft will be deployed this year from October to February, the typical on-continent Antarctic flying season. The crews flying 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 season.
