For many years in the field I have watched LC-130s come and go. I must have hundreds of pictures of Hercs. First, those of the Navy’s VXE6 squadron then, birds flown by the Air National Guard’s 109th out of Schenectady, NY. It has always been somewhat of a mystery to me why everyone traipses out to the skiway, no matter what the weather, to see the planes arrive and depart. Sometimes friends are arriving or departing and the rituals of this event are worthy of a full blog post. Maybe it is just the raw power of this four-engine beast arriving on a snow skiway in the middle of nowhere; a guy thing. But no, that doesn’t explain it. Many who have no interest in drag racing or airplanes also come to the skiway at flight time. It’s certainly not exciting sitting and waiting while we exchange fuel between Camp and the LC-130. Sometimes we take, sometimes we give.
This year it dawned on me. (Okay, so it took 16 years.) These planes are our lifeline to home, our only link to the world. They are our ride out. LC-130s bring us, our food, our fuel and our shelter. Without them life gets hard. Talk about your emotional attachment! So, next time you see a slide show by a veteran of deep field Antarctica, expect to see more than one photo of a Herc. And, BTW; thanks to those who fly them.
