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| An LC-130 "Skibird" from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing sits on the newly prepared ski-way at Little Cornwallis Island, Nunavut, Canada, on April 13, 2016, n support of Canada's annual Operation Nunalivut. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Airman 1st Class Jamie Spaulding/Released) |
The Lockheed LC-130 is a ski-equipped United States Air Force variant of the C-130 Hercules used in the Arctic and Antarctic.
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| Lockheed LC-130H Hercules 93-3300 takes off from Ice Station Ruby, Greenland, 2011. (United States Air Force) |
The LC-130 is the polar version of the familiar C-130 cargo plane; its major unique feature is the ski-equipped landing gear, which enables operation on snow or ice surfaces throughout Antarctica.
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| An LC-130 "Skibird" from the New York Air National Guard's 109th Airlift Wing in Scoita, New York, at Camp Raven, Greenland, on June 28, 2016. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Benjamin German/Released) |
The standard C-130, on wheels only, first flew to Antarctica in late 1959. The C-130 Hercules (prototype first flown in August 1954, production model first flown in April 1955) has gone through many stages of development. The C-130H has four 4500-hp Allison turboprops, an MTW of 175,000 lb and a 300-knot cruising speed. Passenger amenities have remained at cattle-truck standards for over three decades.
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| A U.S. Air Force LC-130 “Skibird” assigned to the 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, takes off from Williams Field, 9 April 2018. (Senior Airman Ben German) |
The original ski installation was first test-flown in 1957 and completed in 1958; twelve modified aircraft were delivered to the USAF in the first order. In its present form the C-130 ski-wheel modification is not a simple retrofit but rather a major modification of the gear and airframe. For aircraft bigger and faster than the C-130, ski modification seems unattractive and probably prohibitively expensive.
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| LC-130 Hercules in Antarctica, 1 November 2013. (NOAA Photo Library) |
The aircraft have provisions for using rocket-assisted-takeoff (RATO) rockets, four on each side of the aircraft, that are installed and used when the LC-130 operates from rough, unprepared snow surfaces, sticky snow or when shorter takeoff runs are needed. Originally the expended rocket bottles were jettisonable, but due to several accidents which occurred when a bottle detached from the aircraft during takeoff, the mounting provisions were changed so that the bottles could not be released in the air.
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| Nose of a LC-130 aircraft at Williams Field in Antarctica, 2 May 2009. (NSF Contractor) |
The plane also has wheels for landings on prepared hard surfaces. It was introduced to the Antarctic program in 1960; the National Science Foundation's fleet numbers six, operated by the U.S. Air National Guard.
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| A New York Air National Guard LC-130 Hercules sits while crews unload fuel and cargo here during a mission to Antarctica in 2005. (Master Sgt. Efrain Gonzalez, United States Air Force) |
The primary mission of the LC-130 is supporting the scientific community in Antarctica by transporting cargo and personnel from the McMurdo Station to field stations and camps, including the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station.
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| LC-130 Hercules. (Tim Felce) |
The plane has a cargo area of 12 by 3 by 3 meters. It can, as an example, carry 12,200 kilograms of people and/or cargo from McMurdo to South Pole (728 nautical miles or 840 statue miles), then return to McMurdo without refueling.
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| LC-130 Hercules. (Tim Felce) |
The LC-130 is the largest aircraft to be fitted with retractable ski-wheels. The main skis are 20 ft (5.1 m) long and 5.5 ft (1.7 m) wide. The nose ski is 10 ft (3 m) long and 5.5 ft (1.7 m) wide. The complete ski set weighs 2.8 tons (2.5 tonne). With full bearing in soft snow, the contact pressure is about 4 lbf/in.2 (28 kPa).
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| LC-130 Hercules. (Tim Felce) |
It cruises at 275 knots. Wingspan is 40 meters; length overall, 30 meters.
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| LC-130 Hercules taking off from the Greenland Icecap at the NorthGRIP camp. In addition to the engines JATO-rockets are used during takeoff from the snow surface. (Søren Wedel Nielsen) |
The United States is the only operator of ski-equipped LC-130 Hercules aircraft in the world. Currently all LC-130 aircraft are operated by the New York Air National Guard and are based at the Air National Guard's facility at Schenectady County Airport. There are two versions. Seven aircraft are LC-130H-2 (Three of these were Navy LC-130R from VXE-6 converted to LC-130H-2). Three are the LC-130H-3 model.
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| The unique capabilities of the ski-equipped LC-130 aircraft make it the only one of its kind in the U.S. military, able to land on snow and ice. (109th Airlift Wing) |
General Characteristics
Designated name: Hercules
Basic Crew: Six (two pilots, navigator, flight engineer, two loadmasters)
Contractor: Lockheed Aeronautical System Corp
Length: 97 feet 9 inches
Wingspan: 132 feet 7 inches
Engines: Four Allsion T-56-A-15 Turboprops
Operating weight: 90,000 pounds
Max. weight: 155,000 pounds
Max. Payload: 45,000 pounds
Cruise Speed: 350 mph
Range: 356+ mile; with a maximum payload
Length of skis:
- Nose Ski - 10' X 5' long, 6" wide
- Main Skis - 12' X 5' long, 6" wide
Max number of pallets: 6
Max number of passengers: 60
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