109th Airlift Wing The 109th Airlift Wing ( 109 AW ) is a unit of the New York Air National Guard , stationed at Stratton Air National Guard Base , Schenectady , New York . If activated to federal service , the Wing is gained by the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . Overview . The 109th Airlift Wing ' s mission is to provide airlift support to the National Science Foundation ' s South Pole research program by flying LC - 130H Hercules airlifters , modified with wheel - ski gear , in support of Arctic and Antarctic operations . The 109th Airlift Wing is the only unit in the world to fly these aircraft . Along with the NSF mission , the 109th Airlift Wing also supports Operation Enduring Freedom . In addition to its combat airlift mission , particularly when placed in a Federalized status , the wing also provides domestic - related functions commonly associated with Air National Guard units , such as disaster or hurricane relief . Units . The 109th Airlift Wing consists of the following major units History . Established by the USAF and allotted to New York ANG in 1956 . Received federal recognition by the National Guard Bureau and activated on 1 May 1956 as the 109th Fighter Group ( Air Defense ) . The group was assigned to the NY ANG 107th Air Defense Wing and stationed at Schenectady County Airport , Schenectady , New York . Cold War . Primary mission was the air defense of eastern and northern New York . Was assigned the 139th Fighter - Interceptor Squadron as operational unit , equipped with F - 94B Starfire s . A major change to the 107th Air Defense Wing in 1958 was the transition from an Air Defense Command ( ADC ) mission to Tactical Air Command ( TAC ) and a tactical fighter mission , the 109th being re - designated as a Tactical Fighter Group ; and 139th also being being re - designated . The new assignment involved a change in the Group ' s training mission to include high - altitude interception , air - to - ground rocketry , ground strafing and tactical bombing . The 139th TFS retained their F - 86H Sabre s . Airlift mission . With air transportation recognized as a critical need , the 109th was re - designated the 109th Air Transport Group ( Heavy ) on 2 January 1960 and was transferred from TAC to the Military Air Transport Service ( MATS ) . The 139th Air Transport Squadron was equipped with C - 97 Stratofreighter intercontinental transports , with an Aeromedical Flight as a secondary mission . With the C - 97s , the 109d augmented MATS airlift capability world - wide in support of the Air Force ’ s needs in Europe . During the 1961 Berlin Crisis , the 139th ATS was federalized on 1 October 1961 . From Schenectady , the 139th ATS augmented MATS airlift capability world - wide in support of the Air Force ’ s needs . It returned again to New York state control on 31 August 1962 . During the 1960s , the Group flew scheduled MATS transport missions to Europe , Africa the Caribbean and South America . On 8 January 1966 , Military Air Transport Service became Military Airlift Command ( MAC ) and the units were re - designated as the 109th Military Airlift Group and 139th was re - designated as the 137th Military Airlift Squadron . With the retirement of the C - 97 in 1971 , the 109th became a Tactical Airlift Group and the 139th Tactical Airlift Squadron received eight C - 130A Hercules transports and was transferred from MAC to Tactical Air Command . The first major mission of the C - 130s was in June 1972 when the squadron provided relief assistance to storm victims of Tropical Storm Agnes . 109th crews gave around - the - clock support to relief efforts . Operating mainly from the Broome County Airport at Binghamton , 109th crews provided the lion ' s share of airlift into stricken areas , particularly Elmira , where surface transportation was cut off . On 1 December 1974 , the unit was transferred back to Military Airlift Command when MAC took over the tactical airlift mission from TAC , USAFE and PACAF air force wide . DEW Line / Antarctic Research Mission Support . In 1975 the 109th was given a new mission for resupply of the Greenland Icecap ' s radar stations . The 109th was re - equipped with 5 C - 130D Hercules , assuming responsibility for the Volant DEW Line resupply mission to the DYE - 1 , 2 , 3 and DYE - 4 stations . The 109th assumed the mission from the Air Force ' s Alaskan Air Command receiving their eleven C - 130s , five of which were ski - equipped for landings on packed snow runways . In October 1984 , the C - 130D aircraft were replaced by eight new C - 130H models , of which four were LC - 130 ' s ( ski equipped ) . In 1988 the 109th had been notified that , almost overnight , one of the Distant Early Warning ( DEW ) Line radar sites that it supported in Greenland was going to be shut down . The other sites would soon follow and the 109th would be largely out of business because it main mission had ended . The last flight to radar site DYE - 3 in December 1989 marked the end of the DEW Line mission . The 107th assumed jurisdiction of the landing strip at the DYE - 2 station for pilot training for practicing Antarctic takeoffs & landings ( called Ice Station Ruby ) ; a . k . a . the Raven Ski - way Training Facility . After the closure of the Greenland stations , the experienced gained by the unit was transferred to its new mission ; the airlift support to National Science Foundation ' s South Pole research program and the U . S . Navy ' s Antarctic Development Squadron Six ( VXE - 6 ) . The 109th continued to augment the Navy ' s Antarctic flying operations for the next eight years . The 109th was not mobilized during the 1990 Gulf Crisis , however 109 AW members were called to duty in support of Operation Desert Shield / Operation Desert Storm . In March 1992 , with the end of the Cold War , the 109th adopted the Air Force Objective Organization plan , and the unit was re - designated as the 109th Airlift Group . On 1 October 1995 , in accordance with the Air Force " One Base - One Wing " policy , the 109th Airlift Wing was established and the 139th Airlift Squadron was assigned to the new 109th Operations Group . In September 1994 , 139th Aeromeds deployed to Rwanda in support of Operation Support Hope . In mid - 1996 , the Air Force , in response to budget cuts , and changing world situations , began experimenting with Air Expeditionary organizations . The Air Expeditionary Force ( AEF ) concept was developed that would mix Active Duty , Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard elements into a combined force . Instead of entire permanent units deploying as " Provisional " as in the 1991 Gulf War , Expeditionary units are composed of " aviation packages " from several wings , including active duty Air Force , the Air Force Reserve Command and the Air National Guard , would be married together to carry out the assigned deployment rotation . Early in 1996 , it was announced that the 109th Airlift Wing was slated to assume that entire Antarctic mission from the U . S . Navy in 1999 as a result of post - Cold War Navy downsizing that would eliminate Antarctic Development Squadron Six ( VXE - 6 ) , along with their Navy LC - 130 Hercules and UH - 1 Huey aircraft . The Antarctic operation would then be fully funded by the National Science Foundation . On February 20 , 1998 , responsibility for airlift support to the United States Antarctic Program ( USAP ) was passed over to the 109 AW from VXE - 6 during a ceremony at Christchurch International Airport , Christchurch , New Zealand . With the assumption of the support mission from the Navy , the 109th established an operating location at Christchurch and a forward location at Williams Field , on the Ross Ice Shelf , Antarctica . Williams Field consists of two hard - packed snow runways located on approximately 8 meters ( 25 ft ) of compacted snow , lying on top of 80 meters ( 262 ft ) of ice , floating over 550 meters ( 1 , 800 ft ) of water . Williams provides support to the United States McMurdo Station and New Zealand ’ s Scott Base . During October 1999 the 109th AW aided in the rescue of Dr . Jerri Nielsen , a doctor with breast cancer symptoms and based at isolated Amundsen – Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica . Modern era . The 109th Wing ' s high operational tempo increased dramatically with the surprise attack on the World Trade Center on September 11 , 2001 . The 109th provided immediate support deploying 49 Civil Engineers , Services and Public Affairs personnel to Ground Zero within the first 24 hours . Since that time , the men and women of the 109th AW have continued to voluntarily deploy in support of military operations in Southwest Asia and around the world . In its 2005 BRAC Recommendations , DoD recommended to realign the 109th Airlift Wing by transferring four C - 130H aircraft to the 189th Airlift Wing , Little Rock AFB , Arkansas . The LC - 130 aircraft ( ski - equipped ) would remain at Schenectady . This decision was not enacted . An effective lobby against the move was carried out by the Schenectady Military Affairs Council . The 139th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron deployed to Afghanistan in June 2007 , marking the first time since Vietnam that aircraft from the unit flew their own aircraft in a combat theater of operations . During the 2011 - 2012 season , crews flying six LC - 130H Ski - Herk transports carried out 359 missions between McMurdo Station , Antarctica , and eighteen inland Antarctic destinations , transporting more than seven million pounds of cargo and fuel and more than 1 , 600 passengers . The LC - 130H crews were also called on to provide aerial reconnaissance and communication links to a disabled Russian vessel , allowing for a Royal New Zealand Air Force C - 130 crew to later airdrop three parcels on an ice floe next to the ailing ship Currently , Aircrews and maintainers from the 109th Airlift Wing took off on 16 October 2012 to begin the unit ’ s annual support of the National Science Foundation in the Antarctic . Six LC - 130s are on the ice since October through February 2013 . About 120 members of the New York Air National Guard are deployed to Antarctica throughout the support season . The Airmen deploy for thirty - to - sixty days each , working two twelve - hour shifts six days each week , running supplies and people to field camps across the continent and the South Pole station .