Raven on the ‘Cap
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By Major Terry A.
Arnold Photos by TSgt. Dan Doherty, AAVS |
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It's clearer than a million miles/exaggerated the pilot, Major
Jack Fenimore, "so we shouldn't have any problems getting in." An
exaggeration, yes, but what's the difference? Fenimore could be forgiven some puffery. The weather was absolutely perfect—brilliant sunshine set
against a cloudless sky. Not at all expected but, then, not all that
surprising, either. One learned early to expect the unexpected In the Arctic. Here in the middle of the Greenland icecap—white stretching
endlessly that day and topped by an azure blue sky—he couldn't have hoped for
better flying conditions for Raven 91, his call sign that day. In the weeks before, a year's supply of fuel and non-perishables
had been flown to Greenland's DEW Line sites, operated by civilian
contractors, as part of the annual spring re-supply. This week's job was a
tad different; Heavy construction equipment and everything from bolts to
boards, 140,000 pounds worth, had to be hauled to DYE-2, one of the two
icecap stations. The Greenland portion of the DEW Line is the eastern extension
of the 3,300-mile detection system that forms the first line of aerial attack
warning against the Northern Hemisphere. Built upon layer after layer of compressed snow, the DYE-2 radar
site has to be literally "jacked up" two or three times a year to
keep it high enough above the accumulating eternal frost. The 'cap's depth at its center is
estimated to be more than two miles. |
The 109th Tactical Airlift Group, to which Fenimore and his crew
are assigned, has participated in this re-supply mission for two years now.
This year they took over completely from the Alaskan Air Command's17th
Tactical Airlift Squadron, which had checked out the 109's crews during the
1975 operation. An unusual mission? Yes, in triplicate. First of all, it's unusual in the sense that Arctic flying is regarded as the most hazardous in the world, Second, it's even more unusual because the 109th TAG flies C-130D aircraft— A-models equipped with teflon-coated skis attached to each wheel axle in addition to normal wheel configurations (all five of the Air Force's "ski birds" belong to the 109th). And capping it all off is the fact that the 109th TAG, based at Schenectady County Airport, belongs to the New York Air National Guard (NYANG). What's an ANG outfit doing in the wilds of 700,000 square miles
of icecap with the only ski-equipped aircraft in the Air Force? Simple, They
are first-line people with a first-line, active duty mission. And they are
proud of it! "We've got the experience," boasted Major Vic Lecce,
overall mission commander for the week. "We do it better, sweeter, and
faster!" Although
normal Arctic flying by the 109th occurs during the spring re-supply, the
unit is available anytime throughout the year when bulky supplies and equipment are needed at
the sites. Because the snow never diminishes, the 109th's unique equipment
and crew capabilities make it the only unit able to complete the tricky job. |
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