The workhorse cargo plane of Antarctica is the LC-130, a ski-equipped, four-engine transport originally designed for military applications. This is the plane that flies us down from Christchurch to McMurdo Station, and it's a long, and often tiring flight. It only takes a few rides in one to understand why paratroopers do what they do- after a few hours I'm ready to jump out of the thing over enemy territory, too. But it's a very safe, functional, beautiful plane, and I'm sure they'll be around for a long time.