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In need of 149808 "BOB" historic info


gungoetz
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I am compiling data and stats and some personal stories if possible about the KC-130F model ser. 149808 for a historic brief sheet to present to the Marine Corps museum that will accompany a 6' wing span model of the aircraft that a fellow Marine and myself restored. The info gathered will aid in the concideration of the acceptance of the model as an offical donation to the museum.

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She looks good Tony!

Maybe you could provide the "number" change to BOB info. I know there was a SH**T fit when BOB was changed back to 808.....and then back to BOB... Maybe a picture or two of the names on the bulkheads...

You enjoy the snow?

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The new CO had maintenance put BOB back as the MODEX for 808. Did I mention that the new CO is a Marine? A/C 627 also has US Marines on the side vice US Navy. When we pick up 626 from Hill this fall it will also sport US Marines on the side.

One of the things I know about 808 is that sometime in the late 80's it had a pod fire that necessitated an immediate landing. The aircraft exceeded 350 knots in the dive and landed at MCAS Beaufort. After that the wing was never right. I know it (the wing) was changed sometime in the 97/98 timeframe.

During Desert Storm it was a hangar queen. Appoximately a year later when we finally got everything put back together, myself, Bill Sculley and Mike Hersperger took it out for it's initial high power runs. Bill was driving, I was in the copilot seat and Mike was in the center seat. As we came to the hold short of 14L at Cherry Point (we were headed to run-up area 4), Bill realized that the emergency brakes weren't working anymore, said "uh-oh" and before he could say anything else I switched over to normal brakes while Bill still standing on the pedals. As you might guess we immediately stopped...which in turn sent Mike into the center windscreen.

On of my adventures on the plane was while doing hose checks in the W-122. As I pressurized the hoses I noticed that I was only getting about 50 psi of refuel manifold pressure with both AR pumps on. Right about that time Manny Guttierez tells me we have a leak on the right side. After I shut everything off, manny says it's still leaking. Turns out the manifold had ruptured between 3 and 4 in the flapwell. We were at 23,000 feet so the leak never stopped until we were able to de-pressurize. The AC tried to tell me that we needed to shut down both engines on the right side. I convinced him that shutting down #3 was good enough. Quite frankly I didn't know if shutting down either one would have made a difference, I just didn't want to land with 2 shut down on one side.

Turns out someone else did just that with this same airplane about a year or so later in 29 Palms. They didn't crash, but it wasn't pretty.

Good times...:D

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I appreciate what i have recieved so far. in a few days i will try to post up a few pictures of the model we restored. from what i was told, the model was originally a wind tunnel model and was given to VMGR 152 at one point with the paint scheme and tail number of aircraft 149808. it was in rough shape to say the least. the pods had fallen off and half the props had blades broken off from falling from where it hanging. even the belly of the model was scared and the nose and wing tips had dents and other disfiguring marks.

it will be some time before i am able to finish the history brief as my partner in restoration is currently forward deployed and he forgot to give me any of his research about a/c 808. I understand there is alot of history all around for the 130 community, but we are trying to to build up an excert of 808 in particular due to the relavance of the model's tail number. wish us luck and keep sending us all your great stories about BOB!

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 8 years later...

I was on BOB when the pod caught fire. We were 45 miles out on the refueling track (16,000feet) profiling F-4 for their upcoming deployment to Iwakuni, Japan.  The left receiver was in the stabilized position and came across the radio stating that the hose was leaking. I checked the hose starting at the drogue and followed it up to the pod and saw fuel spewing out of every crack and crevice on the left pod.  The receiver moved outwards from the hose and as soon he cleared the hose, the hose departed.  The fuel vapors were going into the exhaust trail of number one engine and started torching off behind the plane. I advised the Aircraft Commander of the torching and after the third time, the flames followed the fuel vapor up to the pod and caught it on fire.  A emergency was declared and we flew straight back to MCAS Beaufort. The F-4 stayed with us off of our left wing.  While making a rapid decent, the number four generator failed and we had to shut it down.  The pods remained on fire until we were able to depressurize the aircraft as the pod fuel shutoff valve remained open. We made a 3 engine landing with crash crew ensuring that the fire was out in the pod. The date was 13 November 1986 and it was on this date in 1979 that my youngest brother had died. My parents, who live in Beaufort, would have been devastated if we had crashed.

Edited by Gy9fingers
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  • 1 year later...

I think your efforts to incorporate B0B into the museum are noble.  Looking back I consider myself fortunate and one of the last Marines to work on B0B while with VMGR-252 just before it was transfered to Pax River in 2003 (I think).  In approximately 2001 or 2002 B0B came back from depot maintenance with some new skin, a fresh paint job and best of all a Pegasus with a cluster of 2-5-2 stars encircling it was emblazoned on the vertical stab.  It was the closest thing to WWII nose art we were going to get.  From an avionics standpoint, it was a pretty good bird.  ICS alway give us fits but considering the locations of the junction boxes and the beatings the cords took it was to be expected.  I was fond enough of the aircraft that I had a lithograph commission with the paint job.  I've had it stowed away for 20 years while I bounced around in the Corps.   Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

Charles Westall

First Sergeant

USMC(Ret)

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