A New York Air National Guard LC-130 at the Christchurch, N.Z., airport in January 1999.
Wheels come down through slots in the skis for landings at regular airports.
The second doctor in three years has become seriously ill at the U.S. South Pole Station, which is normally impossible to leave from February until October. However, a Air National Guard plane will head to the southern hemisphere in case a rescue is need. National Science Foundation officials are trying to decide whether to try to rescue the ill doctor or to drop supplies by parachute that would enable him to continue treatment at the Pole. He appears to be recovering, the NSF says, and is being treated with antibiotics, but a relapse is possible. If Shemenski were somewhere with a hospital, he would probably have his gall baldder removed if the conditions flared up again.