Top national science panel visits Stratton Air National Guard Base in Scotia

Members of the National Science Board got a first hand look at the LC-130 "skibirds" flown by the New York Air Guard's 109th Airlift Wing during Sept. 12 visit

Stratton Air National Guard Base, Scotia, New York (09/23/2024) — Members of the National Science Board - the entity ultimately responsible for setting U.S. polar research priorities --got a firsthand look at the ski-equipped C-130s which sustain science research in Antarctica and Greenland during a visit to Stratton Air National Guard Base on Sept. 12.

The ten LC-130s flown by the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing are the largest ski-equipped planes in the world and support the work of the National Science Foundation in the polar regions.

The National Science Board sets policies and priorities for the National Science Foundation, which funds and oversees scientific research.

The board members, who had been meeting in nearby Saratoga Springs, visited the base to see these important, but aging, aircraft for themselves, according to Dario Gil, the board chair.

"We have been spending quite a lot of time on the board discussing the LC-130s- not only what they enable but also the challenges we have ahead to make sure we can sustain the missions they do," Gil said."It's at the heart of the polar mission, we wanted to get firsthand knowledge of how the mission is carried out and what the needs are," he explained.

The oldest LC-130 in use today was made in 1973, the newest models were made in 1993, Col. Rob Donaldson, the commander of the 109th Airlift Wing, told the board members.

He briefed the board members on the challenges associated with maintaining aging aircraft.The 109th Airlift Wing has operated its fleet of LC-130 Hercules aircraft since the 1980, Donaldson said.

The aircraft, vital for support in extreme environments, are increasingly showing signs of wear, prompting concerns about their future efficacy and safety, Donaldson said.

Donaldson highlighted the operational limitations faced by the unit due to limited parts available as the Air Force transitions to C-130 "J" models.He explained that sustainment has become more challenging, many parts are no longer manufactured which leads to supply issues and major overhauls that must be done on station.

Despite the challenges faced with the aging aircraft, the 109th has continually met the needs of the National Science Foundation, said Dr. Jean Cottom Allen, the acting director of the National Science Foundation's Office of Polar Programs.

"Without the capacity and capability (of the LC-130), we would not be able to build up the world class science programs that we have at South Pole Station or Summitt Station, or the deep fields of Antarctica. U.S. leadership in science is very much a partnership dependent on the LC-130s and the 109th," Allen said.

Hosting the National Science Board, or NSB for short, at Stratton is important because it will help the board members understand the difficulties the 109th faces in operating the aging aircraft, said Brig. Gen. Paul Bishop, chief of staff of the New York Air National Guard.

The NSB's support could be instrumental in addressing the challenges faced by the 109th and ensuring that the fleet remains capable of meeting both current and future demands, he said.

"The primary importance is the strategic level engagement between DoD and the NSB so that the mission can get resourced correctly so it can continue," Bishop said."The timeline is urgent, the recapitalization has to occur sooner rather than later, the sense of urgency that we can convey to the board is an important part of this meeting," he added.

The board team toured the base's facilities, where they got a chance to observe maintenance operations and speak with the aircrew about their experiences flying in the Arctic and Antarctic.

The insights gained from this visit are expected to contribute to ongoing discussions about how best to address the modernization needs of the 109th Airlift Wing's fleet, Gil said.

"It has been enlightening to get a chance to be with the core team, to understand how the maintenance is done and the challenges they face- you can see these things in charts but seeing it in person and talking to the people doing the work is a world of a difference," he said.

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