Combat aircraft

meant that some facilities needed to be

constructed on the ice cap with the help

of US Navy Air Development Squadron

Six (VX-6)’s C-130s.

In 1984 the 109th AW replaced its

C-130Ds with C-130Hs, initially operating

four ski-equipped LC-130Hs. Today the

unit  ies 10 LC-130Hs. Shortly before

the radar sites in Greenland shut down

in 1989 the 109th started augmenting

its southern hemisphere Operation

‘Deep Freeze’ mission in Antarctica with

operations to work with VX-6 during the

northern hemisphere summer. While

VX-6 left that role in 1999, the 109th

continued, as there was still a need

to support the scienti c community at

several sites on the ice cap.

Raven Camp

Although the 109th AW is a Department of

Defense asset, it is also a National Science

Foundation (NSF) cargo-hauler. The unit

is paid via the special assignment airlift

mission budget, so the NSF contracts the

amount of cargo lifts required and opens

the door for the 109th to be funded. Each

year there are approximately 25 missions

to Summit Camp and between 12 and 15

to EastGRIP. During that time the unit also

 ies 50 to 60 Raven lines to train new

crews and maintain currency.

When  ying to Raven Camp to train

crews in the art of landing on the ice,

those  ying hours come out of the

unit’s  ying hour budget. Raven Camp

is located at 66°29’N 46°18’W, 7,000ft

(2,133m) above sea level and has a

population of just two. In summer,

married couple Drew Abbott and Silver

Williams spend four months at the

camp, where their main duties include

grooming the skiway so the LC-130s

can operate.

Abbott spoke about the day-to-day

work preparing the skiway. ‘In the

summer we work days, but with the

warm weather we will have to wait until

POLAR

express

POLAR

express

POLAR

109TH AIRLIFT WING | UNIT REPORT

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January 2018 http://www.combataircraft.net

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