60 Years of the C-130 | FerrariChat

60 Years of the C-130

Discussion in 'Aviation Chat' started by JCR, Aug 19, 2014.

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  1. JCR

    JCR F1 World Champ Silver Subscribed

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  2. Thomas Magnum

    Thomas Magnum F1 Veteran

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    Thanks for sharing! I've got about 1500 hrs in the Herk and a lot of good memories.
     
  3. Gran Drewismo

    Gran Drewismo F1 Rookie

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    My grandpa was a loadmaster and instructor on a C-130 back in the 60s and early 70s because of this I have a soft spot for these planes.

    I hate Fox News but thanks for posting this. :)
     
  4. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ Lifetime Rossa

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    Tail 0518 is at the front gate of Little Rock AFB with a sign telling how it carried 452 people out of Vietnam.

    From my perspective the C-130 is a great aircraft to fly on if you want to see the world. Fighters and bombers get the glory but they mostly fly from one military base to another. The Strat air lifters (C-5/17) go a lot of places but because they are giant and can air refuel they tend to go from one hub to another. The C-130 can go almost anywhere but you get to see a lot of stuff in between. No air refueling so you bounce your way around the globe stopping all kinds of places the other guys will never see. We go into all variety of small places that that the strat air lifters could never fit. On the road with a good crew the C-130 is a ton of fun.
     
  5. Tcar

    Tcar F1 Rookie

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    Your 'Fox' comment does not belong here.

    You should delete it.
     
  6. JCR

    JCR F1 World Champ Silver Subscribed

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    My experience with them was exiting them via static line through the side door or ramp. Good aircraft, but that nap of the earth flying always made me queasy.
     
  7. ralfabco

    ralfabco Two Time F1 World Champ Lifetime Rossa

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    Any info about flying trash ;)
     
  8. Jeff328

    Jeff328 Formula 3

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    C-130's always been one of my favorites. When I was an enlisted airman at McChord AFB back in the late 1980's they had a 6-axis C-130 simulator there that they would let us fly when it wasn't being used for training. It was staffed and operational 24/7 by mostly civilian personnel and not usually in use at 0430 and it always seemed that the mission they had loaded was set in the desert...

    Also thought that the C-130 would make an awesome RV :) Set one up like a big flying motor home and go see the world.
     
  9. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ Lifetime Rossa

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    Pretty much all the sim profiles looked like desert until a few years ago, it was probably more a function of simulator technology at the time. The sims now have better terrain and features so different areas actually look different and there are trees and buildings that actually look like trees and buildings. The graphics are still pretty crappy compaired to the stuff people have at home but it isn't really the point. The thing the sim is good for is practicing emergency procedures that you can't safely do in the real plane. Last week we simulated a mission in Colorado that involved taking off from a high altitude field on a hot day with a bunch of cargo.... Then you get engine failures at various stages of takeoff. Or other emergency terrain avoidance procedures.

    From what I understand the Boeing 777 sim uses Google Earth for its overlay to make things very realiStic.

    It is a very fun plane to take on the road as a crew :)
     
  10. RacerX_GTO

    RacerX_GTO F1 World Champ Silver Subscribed

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    There was an early 1980's issue of Airman (1984 or 1985) celebrating the 130, titled "Legendary, Beyond Belief"

    Article went on to explain its early roles all the way up to current and expanded roles as Hurricane Hunter, AC-130 Gunship and deployment for PJ/CCT.

    Here it is today, still going strong.
     
  11. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ Silver Subscribed

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    Consider that the book "Herk: Hero of the Skies" has already been revised twice and is long overdue for another update! It's a great read if you haven't seen it.
     
  12. TimN88

    TimN88 F1 Veteran

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    It is probably the C-130 that inspired me to pursue a career in aviation at a later age than most people. I always used to see LC-130's (the ones with skis on the bottom) flying overhead when I was at college. I always though "thats what I want to do- fly for the guard." After grad school I moved back to that area and, in addition to my civilian engineering job, I worked as a rowing coach for my alma mater. The LC-130's would fly over our boathouse at 500A. Sort of got caught up in my civilian job, and before I knew it four or five years went by. After seeing enough of them, I decided it was about time to apply for a guard or reserve slot. Got hired by the first unit I interviewed with, but probably would've taken a job at the C-130 unit had it been offered. They sent one of their navs to UPT instead. I am still amazed that it's been in production for so long. We say everything is a "great ship" and sometimes we're serious and sometimes we're not, but I am when I say the 130 is a great ship.
     
  13. Remy Zero

    Remy Zero Two Time F1 World Champ

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    I had the privilege to get into one before. Very fascinating.
     
  14. Thomas Magnum

    Thomas Magnum F1 Veteran

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    This thread inspired me to dig up some old pics and a video made by one of our Navigators when my squadron first deployed to Afghanistan in 2004. The other video is C-130s flying in Alaska, where I was stationed (Elmendorf AFB). Some of the greatest low level flying on Earth. Hope you enjoy them.

    OEF 517th on Vimeo

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je4PLZI8jEE
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    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  15. alexm

    alexm F1 Veteran

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    Very cool.. thanks for that!
     
  16. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ Lifetime Rossa

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    Cool, thanks for sharing. If you ever make it out to the Little Rock area or next time I'm out towards Memphis we should get in touch. I'm pretty sure we have a bunch of mutual acquaintances as I know several of the guys whose names are in the start of the video.

    .
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2014
  17. Thomas Magnum

    Thomas Magnum F1 Veteran

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    My door is always open to FChatters. Just let me know when you pass through.

    Mark
     
  18. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ Consultant Owner

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    Anyone here know C-130 pilot Daniel White formerly in Alaska, now instructing at the Academy?
     
  19. Jeff328

    Jeff328 Formula 3

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    For sure, and it can be pretty darn realistic. The sim operators loved to throw out failures for us to deal with. One time they failed the nose gear steering on a landing and when I skidded off the runway the thing lurched so hard I got speared by the arm rest and got a bruise the size of a grapefruit on my side.
    Great pics, thanks for sharing!
     
  20. Gatorrari

    Gatorrari F1 World Champ Silver Subscribed

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    After working on the F-22 for twelve years, I never thought that the C-130 program would be that interesting; after all, the aircraft was designed before I was born! But multiple versions and multiple customers (which the F-22 did not have) have made the experience quite fascinating.

    And, like my Ferrari, the C-130 has appeared on T.V. enough times to make it familiar to a lot of people. And it's far from just a military sky-truck: disaster relief, fire-fighting, hurricane-hunting, refugee evacuation - the labors of Hercules are many!
     
  21. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ Lifetime Rossa

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    Ballpark what years in Alaska?
     
  22. Thomas Magnum

    Thomas Magnum F1 Veteran

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    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
  23. Piper

    Piper Two Time F1 World Champ

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    Saw a number of them lined up at Patrick AFB last week. Bizarre sight for me. I thought they were ancient when I was getting my flight training at Quantico and Andrews nearly 30 years ago.
     
    Last edited: Aug 22, 2014
  24. UroTrash

    UroTrash Four Time F1 World Champ Consultant Owner

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    From about 2005 to 2011.

    Then to teach in Colorado Springs and just now moved to Tenn to get PhD or something.
     
  25. MarkPDX

    MarkPDX F1 World Champ Lifetime Rossa

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    Did a tour of Texas today for the Herky birthday. Flew from San Antonio to Laredo and followed the Tex/Med border all the way to El Paso up to just east of Roswell NM then out to Abilene and back down to San Antonio. Did it all at 6k feet which is high enough to get a good view but not too high. Here is a pic of Lake Amistad on the border between Del Rio and Ciudad Acuna.
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