Lockheed LC-130R Hercules BuNo 159130 was a ski-equipped U.S. Navy transport assigned to VXE-6, flying for more than two decades in support of Operation Deep Freeze and the U.S. Antarctic Program. Operating from McMurdo Sound’s Williams Field, the aircraft hauled cargo, fuel, scientific equipment, and personnel across the Antarctic continent to remote ice runways, enabling year-round research in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. Known by the crew as “Spirit of Willy Field” and often nicknamed “Chilly,” 159130 participated in numerous Deep Freeze seasons and, on 17 February 1999, was photographed departing Antarctica as the final VXE-6 aircraft to fly out, marking the end of the U.S. Navy’s 44-year era of Antarctic aviation before the mission transferred to the Air National Guard.
Screenshots by: @jcofdi
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