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Rails on upper rear cargo door on HC-130s.


gmat
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Does anyone have any close ups of the two rails attached to the bottom of the upper rear cargo door of Rescue HC-130Hs/Ns/Ps? I believe that when the door was raised in-flight, the rails were connected to overhead rails in the cargo bay and were used to lift and drop the air rescue package. Does anyone have more detailed information on its use? This is for a modeler who is building an HC-130P.

Also, the 33rd ARRS had the MAC badge and Rescue tail band on a SEA camo bird in the mid 70s. Does anyone know the tail number so I can look it up in your photo library? Also, does anyone know of the tail number of the HC-130Ps that supported HH-53s on the Son Tay Raid?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you,

Grant

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Looks like a pretty good pic of one in the Bob daley collection #4097.

just recently posted by casey. I dont know what they are used for. I did see once a video of a 130 snagging sattelites by their parachutes in midair. maybe this is what it was for? I\'ll dig up my videos and take a close look.

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The Rails on the bottom of the cargo door were from the ODS (Overhead Delivery System) used to deploy the MA-1 kits and other items up to 1000 lbs if I remember. The carriage system had 5 shackles that held the bundles. The system was moved out of the cargo compartment by the loadmaster and the bundles were released by the pilot with an Intervolometer located just under the LH swing window. These rails were removed on the AFSOC aircraft about 1990 during the SOFI mod. I believe they remained on the older Rescue birds but have not been installed on any built after 1985.

ZAK

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It\'s been many years now, but the rig used to catch the satellites \"rolled back\" to the ramp area. There was a winch assembly floor-mounted just aft of 245. A cable went from the winch drum, through the rig. There were long poles, 27\'(?), that were mounted on the outboard sides that the harness/hook assembly was connected to. These poles were lowered and and the harness was spread out. The chute was grabbed by the harness and pulled away from the poles and went into trail. The winch brake slowed the cable payout until it stopped and then the assembly was reeled in.

Once we had an incident where the brake clamped down way tooooo fast. Was an interesting flight after that for Randy and crew.

The rails on cargo door were for the ODS system.

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Dan

Many moons ago there were PCS HC130\'s at Lajes.

We were greeted by them one time when we lost 2 engines on the way there.

The 57 ARRS was there with Herks from 66 to 72.

On the Atlantic side we had

54 ARRS at Goose later Pease

55 ARRS at Bermuda later McCoy

58 ARRS at Wheelus

67 ARRS at Moron later Woodbridge, I think 67 did TDY to Lajes after 57 closed.

Bob

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Thanks Bob.

I didn\'t know that, It appears that rescue meant more in the 50\'s and 60\'s than is does today.

Guess thats what happens when I dont have Zak here to keep me straight:woohoo:

I remember my first flight over the big pond to Europe when I was in EC\'s.

I had maybe 50 hours total flight time, prop light on start at Goose Bay, shutdown and service. Just past the ETP and it starts flickering again:woohoo:

than about an hour later another prop light starts to flicker:S

Landed with #3 and 4 lights acting like disco balls.

The next flight over the pond going to Europe we took 1857 from FL22.0 to 6000 AGL in about 10 seconds - that was a mess.

Both times Lajes was a very welcome sight!!

Dan

2007-10-20_014222_Goat-E.gif

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When I built my HC-130P (66-0225), I used Plastruct C-shaped beams for the ODS rails on the cargo door. I\'m pretty sure that I\'ve got a decent picture of that part of the aircraft that I can scan in for you...

Helped pull the ODS system out of the HC\'s in the late 1980\'s-we all thought that it was the wrong move. The removal had nothing to do with the SOFI mod-it predated that mod by a few years.

Ahhh, the memories of working Rescue birds....

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ec130crewchief wrote:

[quote

Helped pull the ODS system out of the HC\'s in the late 1980\'s-we all thought that it was the wrong move. The removal had nothing to do with the SOFI mod-it predated that mod by a few years.]

I was in one of the last units (Moffett) that had ODS\'s on our HC\'s. When we gave up 981 and 221, they both still had their\'s and that was 2000. 983\'s had been removed in 1990 during H to P conversion, and 224 had lost her\'s during PDM in 2000, just before Patrick got her. I beleive New York had their\'s taken out during the 241 mod. The biggest problem (besides being a head smacker) was parts. The only things we could get were the intervelometer and possibly the cable, but that was about it. And, taking it out saved, IIRC, 1500lbs. The only thing we used it for was taking the Benson tanks in and out, and for Shuttle Launch missions. NASA had a requirement for an MA-1 kit to be rigged, as well as having 3 RAMZ packages.

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