C-130 blue formation lights

[HerkRigger]

Hello all, I was an RCAF Herk rigger in the late 70’s. I am trying to find a diagram or clear photo showing the location of the early blue formation lights located on top of the wing. If I recall, there were 4, 2 on each side, aft of the box spar. Flush mounted, probably about 3” in diameter with a cobalt blue lens. I am a model builder and want to light up my Herk. I remember them from when I was doing DI’s and was up top checking for cracks or damage to the surfaces. So these were CC-130E and H. This was before the slime lights. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

                      Jeff

[munirabbasi]

Kindling Attached file

Best regards

Munir Abbasi

Formation Light.docx

[HerkRigger]

2 hours ago, munirabbasi said:

Kindling Attached file

Best regards

Munir Abbasi

Formation Light.docx 59.98 kB · 2 downloads

Excellent! Thanks kindly 🙂

[munirabbasi]

10 hours ago, munirabbasi said:

Kindly see Attached file

 

 

Formation Light.docx

[Metalbasher]

[tinyclark]

There are 9 of them. all #3 in the pic. Location: OW sta 185 and 293, and Ail Sta 103.5 on the wings, FUS STA 671, 701, 731.

[HerkRigger]

2 hours ago, tinyclark said:

There are 9 of them. all #3 in the pic. Location: OW sta 185 and 293, and Ail Sta 103.5 on the wings, FUS STA 671, 701, 731.

Excellent data! Now I know their exact location.

Thank you for the great information.

Jeff

[Bogi252]

On 10/27/2020 at 3:32 PM, HerkRigger said:

Hello all, I was an RCAF Herk rigger in the late 70’s. I am trying to find a diagram or clear photo showing the location of the early blue formation lights located on top of the wing. If I recall, there were 4, 2 on each side, aft of the box spar. Flush mounted, probably about 3” in diameter with a cobalt blue lens. I am a model builder and want to light up my Herk. I remember them from when I was doing DI’s and was up top checking for cracks or damage to the surfaces. So these were CC-130E and H. This was before the slime lights. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Best regards,

                      Jeff

Hi Jeff, e-mail me at aboucourt@gmail.com and i'll set you up with info. 

[HerkRigger]

On 10/29/2020 at 12:47 PM, Bogi252 said:

Hi Jeff, e-mail me at aboucourt@gmail.com and i'll set you up with info. 

Thanks Bogi252, I had emailed you a couple of days ago, but strangely I got the email sent to back my inbox 3 times!

I tried again tonight, seems to have worked normally, I will keep my fingers crossed.

Jeff 🙂

[Roadrunner]

This is HC-130B (delivered as an R8V-1G, procured through the USAF as 58-5396).  I’m trying to figure out of the four dots I see on the outer wing panels are in fact blue formation lights.  I’ve scaled them out on a 1/72 model (very approximate) and they appear to be about 8” in diameter, which seems too big for formation lights.  

I’m assuming the panels behind #2 and #3 are the dry bays?

Does anyone have any C-130B documentation that shows the formation lights?  The image above in this thread shows only 3 on the outer wings.

Thanks!

 

 

Edited May 16, 2022 by Roadrunner

[Roadrunner]

This is the bird I’m wanting to do a model of…

 

[hlg6016]

I'm going on memory here, But I remember the wing formation lights being aft of the fuel tank access panels on the outer wings. Size wise they where more like 3 maybe 4 inches at the most. 8 inch seems more the size of a landing light. Those are dry-bay access panels behind the engines they where set into a larger stress panel for maintenance. 

[Roadrunner]

So my question is, what exactly is it that I'm seeing in the photo?  That aircraft is in her factory finish, and they're clearly some dark color.  Would the fuel tank access panels be painted red or some other color?   If that's the case, then it appears this a/c doesn't have the blue formation lights.  The USCG would have had no reason to have them, and I supposed it's possible they didn't install them, but I'm just not sure what I'm seeing.

[hlg6016]

I see what you mean there is a difference between wings in the photo. Those arrows are pointing at the form lights on the right wing. also that bird has the original B model wings. Marine birds got upgraded with new outer wings in the 80's but they still had the form lights.

[Roadrunner]

So would the C-130B wing have had four formation lights?

[hlg6016]

I would have to say yes.

[n1dp]

HC-130B had formation lights. (former USCG FE here) Same as all other "B" models. The double dark spots behind #4; inboard is the drybay access cover, about 6 inches in diameter, the outboard dark spot is most likely the #4 fuel tank Over the Wing (OTW) filler port cover. They were always red. Drybay covers were white.

Also. when this photo was taken, we had not replaced the outer wings.

[Roadrunner]

I purchased a digital copy of the C-130B/HC-130B/C-130E flight manual.  The manual clearly shows THREE fuel access ports on the upper wings, including well inboard near the root (#13 on the drawing key), but NOT one well outboard.   It’s showing one on the external tank (on the C-130E), but only three on the top of the wing.

The manual also clearly shows three blue formation lights, set in the upper wing aft of the rear spar, all well outboard, all outboard of the engine nacelles.  There are also three of them on the fuselage spine behind the wing.

But then look closely at the R8V-1G photo again. On the starboard wing there are four circles on the outboard wing section, set well aft near the aft spar, but none inboard at all. On the port wing, these circles are well forward, just behind the front spar, again with none inboard at all. 

I know it’s not the clearest of photos, but I don’t see any of the blue formation lights, either on the wing aft of the rear spar, or on the fuselage spine.

The more I look, the more confused I get!

[n1dp]

On the formation light picture, you cane see the formation lights are installed over the flap well, not the main part of the wing where the fuel tanks and dry bays are. In early manuals, there was an over the wing refueling port for the Aux tanks, located between the inboard engines and the wing root. Pretty sure they were eliminated when the center wing boxes were replaced due to cracking. Also, those rectangular looking dry bay  access doors were replaced by an oval hatch with a round cover in the middle.

Disclaimer: It's been a while.

[n1dp]

https://www.usaf-sig.org/index.php/references/downloads/category/116-c-130-hercules-lockheed?download=419:t-o-1c-130b-1-flight-manual-c-130b-hc-130b-and-c-130e-13-11-1970

It looks like you have pages of the "B" manual from this vintage. Take a read through, many answers in that manual. Let us know if you have more questions.

[hlg6016]

At this point all I can say is go with what the manual is telling you.

[Roadrunner]

I’m at a complete loss as to why the four darker circles you see on the starboard wing are further aft than the corresponding ones on the port wing.  I’ve downloaded every C-130 manual I can find, and none of them show four refueling ports (?) or anything else in an arrangement like that.

[n1dp]

Not sure why the dark circles. Trying to find a good picture of the top of the wing for you. Those outboard fuel tank panels have no other penetrations.

 

[Roadrunner]

Keep in mind that this photo is a very early build airplane (delivered in 1959), so that might make a difference.

[victorp1]

Each wing had three formation lights and the early "B" had fuel filler ports for over the servicing. After the first center wing modification the filler ports were removed and a oval center wing hatch was installed to replace the square one. The square dry bay hatches were replace with oval with a outer wing upgrade.

Servicing.pdf