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High flights.. How high have you flown in a Herk?


M_Wales
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The only problem I can see with being in the FL30s is that the IFF couldn't send out correct altitude in MODE C after 30,800', since the old E-models and early H's didn't have the D4 pulse hooked up to the altitude encoder. ATC would have shown you at 27,700' if you were at 33,800'.

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Sometime in about December 1972 on a flight from Saigon to Utapao Mark Marz took our doggy 62 E model up to a mushy 33,000. In 1975 I flew one of the Super E's at Little Rock and took the empty airplane to FL350 with no effort at all. She climbed like a homesick angel. The indicated airspeed was very low but she still had a lot of unused power.

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1991 Between LTAG and EGUN FL350 for a short time in a "B" model. I've got a picture of the altimeter someplace. I'd have to get the form 5 out to check the airplane #. I remember the pressure got pretty low on the gauge by the Nav station and cabin was an rch below 10M

JW

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42,900 in a brand new 1974 H-model between Jeddah & Dhahran. Almost hit 43,000 until a turbine overheat light flickered. I must've gulped down a liter of LOX when that happened. I can't remember the AC's name, but I remember he was buiding a cement sail boat back at Dyess AFB that he was gonna sail to Hawaii.

It all sorta comes together, doesn't it? Cement sail boat; 40,000'+ in a C-130.

Don R.

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How high have you flown in a Herk?

31,000 ft.. Highest I've been in a herk, but I'm sure a lot of you have been higher. This was on our way to Andoya, Norway..

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15" mercury. Nice and tight for a 1963 model..

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Hopefully that pic of the pressure controller wasn't taken at 310 because the pressure controller should have been set somewhat higher than that if so. :-). 290 is the highest for me. Not too bad in an e-model. We wanted to go to 310 but ATC said no.

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That is why we have asked the question what was the cabin altitude during the mission?

Therefore; the two pictures was definitely not related to each other; the top picture might show what altitude brother “M_Wales†was flying during his mission from xxx to xxx, but the lower picture showing an airplane flying on an altitude not above 21,000 feet.

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Hopefully that pic of the pressure controller wasn't taken at 310 because the pressure controller should have been set somewhat higher than that if so. :-). 290 is the highest for me. Not too bad in an e-model. We wanted to go to 310 but ATC said no.

Naw, just call that a check on the differential feature...seems to be working just fine!

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That is why we have asked the question what was the cabin altitude during the mission?

Therefore; the two pictures was definitely not related to each other; the top picture might show what altitude brother “M_Wales” was flying during his mission from xxx to xxx, but the lower picture showing an airplane flying on an altitude not above 21,000 feet.

What about the second pic would lead you to believe he wasn't above 21K???

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We flew the bullshit bomber missions in the upper twenties, with the ramp and door open so no cabin altitude. It seems to me we usually dropped at FL270. My buddy Tom Stalvey told me a couple of weeks ago that he flew some HALO drops at FL410. As I recall, the normal max operating altitude for Herks was FL250 because there was no oxygen in the back for troops. For flights above that altitude there had to be an emergency oxygen system. I wouldn't even attempt to make a comment on cabin altitude since it was so long ago, but FAR 25 requirements call for a maximum cabin altitude of 10,000 feet at the maximum certified altitude of any Part 25 certified airplane.

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What about the second pic would lead you to believe he wasn't above 21K???

I got your point, so you believe that crew might be operating in MANUAL mode.

In this case the flight engineer seems to be not following the correct procedures during manual operation; in which the cabin altitude selector should be set to 10,000 feet according to procedures, but not to leave the cabin altitude selector close to 1,000 feet.

Yes, I believe brother “M_Wales†that he hit the 31k because he said so, but I don’t believe that the second pic was taken of an airplane above 21K with AUTO mode of operation.

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Well if you do not set the pressure controller (to your flight level) and leave it as set on the ground the outflow valve will limit the pressure differential to (15.16) in automatic.

The fact it is in a 63 model with a 30lb flight station pact it makes perfect sense (not by the book but...)

The cabin altimiter should have been aprox 6000............ 31000 @15.16 limit ='s cabin alt of 6000'

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I got your point, so you believe that crew might be operating in MANUAL mode.

In this case the flight engineer seems to be not following the correct procedures during manual operation; in which the cabin altitude selector should be set to 10,000 feet according to procedures, but not to leave the cabin altitude selector close to 1,000 feet.

Yes, I believe brother “M_Wales” that he hit the 31k because he said so, but I don’t believe that the second pic was taken of an airplane above 21K with AUTO mode of operation.

That wasn't my point...looks like a normal setting for AUTO PRESS to me. Since when is it procedure to set the cabin altitude to correspond with the 15.16in hg altitude during cruise in AUTO PRESS?? That isn't printed in the E(H) or H, or the (K)H dash ones.

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"Since when is it procedure to set the cabin altitude to correspond with the 15.16in hg altitude during cruise in AUTO PRESS?? That isn't printed in the E(H) or H, or the (K)H dash ones."

(check page 1-153) (-1 w/ change 12.... only copy I have)

Our books (in the NORMAL operation of the pressurization system paragraph of the systems description section) say to "set Cabin ALT to desired cruise ALT."

OUR desired cruise ALT is 500' above the actual aircraft curise ALT we WILL climb to. This keeps the system in the ISOBARIC (less than MAX DIFF) range. This way WE control the RATE of cabin change and the outflow valve does not cycle to maintain MAX pressure once we are at ALT.

This altitude (say 25,000') if set on the ground (say sea level) will cause the aircraft to climb in the "NON pressurized" range until we get to the Cabin ALT the pressure controller is SET to maintain (3500' cabin) then start to build up a differential pressure.

By setting the pressure controller below your aircraft ALT you are asking the outflow valve to maintain a cabin ALT LOWER (outflow valve more closed).

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