LC-130 Hercules to be Displayed at Warbirds Over Wanaka

A ski-equipped LC-130 Polar Hercules will be appearing at Warbirds Over Wanaka this year. The aircraft, which belongs to the New York Air National Guard and is used for Antarctic support, will be on static display at the airshow.

The original C130 Hercules first flew in 1954; in 1959, early wheeled versions began flying to the Antarctic in support of Operation Deep Freeze. In 1961, a modified ski-equipped version was introduced.

Antarctic support flights were conducted by US Navy aircraft until 1998, when the New York Air National Guard took over the operation and it now flies the only ten active LC-130s remaining. The LC-130 Hercules is the largest ski-equipped aircraft in the world. Its main skis are 5.1 metres long and the complete ski units add 2.5 tonnes to the aeroplane’s basic weight. The ski modification is a major one that requires modifications to both the landing gear and the actual fuselage.

RNZAF C-130s have regularly appeared at previous Warbirds Over Wanaka airshows, and one will also be appearing this year. However, this will be the first appearance by the significantly different LC-130 version of the aircraft and it will provide an interesting opportunity for the public to see the two different variants of the same aircraft type together.

The LC-130 that will be attending the show is one of six New York Air National Guard aircraft that are equipped with Flightcell DZM tracking equipment built by the Nelson-based New Zealand company Flightcell International. The LC-130s transmit information via satellite phones through their Flightcell DZMs that allows them—wherever they are in the world—to be tracked by another New Zealand company, Daestra New Zealand using its TracPlus tracking system.