Skibirds: Adventures of the Raven Gang is the fascinating history and story of the 109th Airlift Wing, a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Schenectady, New York. The wing’s mission is to provide airlift support to the National Science Foundation’s Arctic Circle and South Pole research program. They fly LC-130H Hercules airlifters equipped with wheel-ski landing gear to their Arctic and Antarctica area of operations. The 109th Airlift Wing is the only unit in the world to fly these aircraft.\nUsing numerous anecdotal stories, the book tells of dangerous missions carrying civilian scientists, survival experts, and their equipment to some of the most remote locations in the Arctic and Antarctica. Frequently unable to see the snowy “skiway” while landing on ski-equipped LC-130s, they fly inside what Lt. Col. Joe Hathaway describes as the “ping-pong ball.” It is a term he uses to describe the inability to tell the ground from the clouds when landing on the snowfield.

Skibirds: Adventures of The Raven Gang

Biographies & Memoirs

Hathaway, Joseph P.

Leaders & Notable People

Southwestern Legacy Press, LLC

Written by Lt. Col. Joseph P. Hathaway USAF (Ret.), "Skibirds: Adventures of the Raven Gang" is the fascinating history and story of the 109th Airlift Wing, a unit of the New York Air National Guard, stationed at Stratton Air National Guard Base, Schenectady, New York. The wing's mission is to provide airlift support to the National Science Foundation's Arctic Circle and South Pole research program. They fly LC-130H Hercules airlifters, equipped with wheel-ski landing gear, to their Arctic and Antarctica operations. The 109th Airlift Wing is the only unit in the world to fly these aircraft. Using numerous anecdotal stories, the book tells of dangerous missions carrying civilian scientists, survival experts, and their equipment to some of the most remote locations in the Arctic and Antarctica. Frequently, unable to see the snowy "skiway" and landing on ski-equipped LC-130s, they fly inside what Lt. Col. Hathaway describes as the "ping-pong ball." It is a term he uses to describe the inability to tell the ground from the clouds when landing on the snowfield.

Southwestern Legacy Press

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hathaway, Joseph P.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Hathaway, Joseph P.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Hathaway, Joseph P.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Skibirds: Adventures of The Raven Gang

Skibirds: Adventures of The Raven Gang