Accession No. PA.2007.0017: Tom Noel, 2007 April
[identification of item], In-Flight Photographs of United States Air Force LC-130H Aircraft, SPEC.PA.56.5042, Byrd Polar and Climate Research Center Archival Program, Ohio State University
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Processed by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 November; Finding aid written by: Audrey Wimbiscus, 2025 November
The LC-130 aircraft is a ski-equipped United States Air Force variant of the C-130 Hercules aircraft. The first prototype for the LC-130 was developed by Lockheed Martin (then called the Lockheed Corporation) in 1956, and went into production in 1959; the first four produced were bought by the United States Navy Antarctic Development Squadron Six and used to support Operation Deep Freeze in Antarctica. The aircraft are primarily used to support the scientific community in the polar regions, particularly Antarctica, by transporting cargo and personnel to and from field stations and camps. LC-130 have the ability to use skis to land on snow and ice, and also to retract those skis to land on conventional runways; they also can use rockets to help propel them into the air when shorter takeoffs are needed. As of 2025, all LC-130 aircraft are operated by the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing and are based at the Schenectady County Airport.
The In-Flight Photographs of United States Air Force LC-130H Aircraft date from 2002, and consist of two color images of a LC-130H aircraft in flight with skis extended at an unknown location.