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Interior of Dyess AFB C-130A


APG85
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Thanks for that link! I've always wondered what the inside of that A model looked like. Other than looking a little more bare in the back, the cargo compartment has remained relativiely unchanged. It's funny that a lot of the instrumentation is the same as what we've got today on the E/H/H1/H2 herks that I've flown. It looks like someone cutout a window and put plexiglass in its place next to the forward emergency escape hatch.

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It looks like someone cutout a window and put plexiglass in its place next to the forward emergency escape hatch.

That is a window. The escape hatch can be seen to the acft left of the window.

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As everyone knows this is an early A Model 55-0023, It has the window over the Nav station an it has the fuel panels for the original external fuel tanks.

The tanks were a lot larger than the 450 Gal one we ended up with on the A model. You could transfer the fuel in to the main tanks thrugh the cross feed system with one of the panels and there was two boost pumps in each tank, fore and aft. The large thanks were about the size of the Elint pod on the C-130A-II acft. You can save and blow the picture up but still can not see the panels too good. I at one time crewed 53-3134 and it had both the window and fuel panels in it. Window cracked one time so we just plated over the opening.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Hey Roy,

My girlfriend left to attended her son's graduation from Army basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood. Her flight to St. Louis, via ATL, on Delta was canceled on the Tuesday and she was rebooked on another flight on the same day -- also canceled. She finally got there yesterday (Wednesday) and is watching him graduate today. They told her that the post had been on lock-down on Tuesday -- no one could get on or off the base. What a freekin' horror story. All that time, it was in the high 70's here in Tampa!!!

Another hijacked thread, but to get back to the subject, I've heard that there's a retired 772nd FE at Dyess that maintains the A-model there -- a little skinny guy named Leslie Squires. You remember him, Roy? Can anybody confirm?

Don R.

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Yeah Don, the I-44 corridor was pretty bad. The westbound interstate was closed from near here all the way to Tulsa. Oklahoma closed the turnpike and that backed it up all the way to Springfield. Hope your lady makes it home OK.

I remember Les. Have you been back in the last couple of years? I went back for a 774th (that's the squadron I was atached to back then) reunion a few years ago. Quite a few changes. Went over to the Memorial Park and spent some time looking at the names on the bricks.

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When I was at Dyess, each aircraft in the airpark had a squadron assigned to take care of them. If I remember correctly, one of the intel squadrons had her. We made a big fuss about it that office people were to maintain the 130 when the AMXS for 130's got the Carabou.

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Have you been back in the last couple of years? I went back for a 774th (that's the squadron I was atached to back then) reunion a few years ago. QUOTE]

Roy,

I haven't been back to Dyess since I retired in 1985. I'm a lifetime member of the 774TAS Association that Don Potter started, but haven't been back for any of the reunions.

Thanks, Plaprad for the reply to my question. Wonder why you guys got the 'Boo?

Don R.

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Hey Dutch,

You buried in the snow down in Cassville?

No I went to Springfield to take my wife for her treatments and have been out of here since lacst Monday.

Came home to day have to go back Monday. But springfield got 11 inches.

Snowing here now susposed toi get 3 Inches. (SH-T!!!)

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  • 4 weeks later...

Wonder why you guys got the 'Boo?
For the same reason my brother, a qualified diesel truck mechanic, ended up as a crew chief on F-15's instead in motor pool where he belonged. Lets waste money and time instead!!!

Since mid November we have now had 7 days that the ground was not completely covered in snow, anywhere from 1 foot to 4 foot of snow. Its nice but it will also be nice to work on my house in temps above the teens or twenty's :) (not to mention having to thaw frozen water pipes and a frozen washing machine several times a week).

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As everyone knows this is an early A Model 55-0023, It has the window over the Nav station an it has the fuel panels for the original external fuel tanks.

The tanks were a lot larger than the 450 Gal one we ended up with on the A model. You could transfer the fuel in to the main tanks thrugh the cross feed system with one of the panels and there was two boost pumps in each tank, fore and aft. The large thanks were about the size of the Elint pod on the C-130A-II acft. You can save and blow the picture up but still can not see the panels too good. I at one time crewed 53-3134 and it had both the window and fuel panels in it. Window cracked one time so we just plated over the opening.

The external pylon tanks were not installed on any of the A-models until after the 61st deployed to Christ Church in 1960.

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Hey Roy,

My girlfriend left to attended her son's graduation from Army basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood. Her flight to St. Louis, via ATL, on Delta was canceled on the Tuesday and she was rebooked on another flight on the same day -- also canceled. She finally got there yesterday (Wednesday) and is watching him graduate today. They told her that the post had been on lock-down on Tuesday -- no one could get on or off the base. What a freekin' horror story. All that time, it was in the high 70's here in Tampa!!!

Another hijacked thread, but to get back to the subject, I've heard that there's a retired 772nd FE at Dyess that maintains the A-model there -- a little skinny guy named Leslie Squires. You remember him, Roy? Can anybody confirm?

Don R.

Don,

I remember flying occasionally with Les Squires in the 772nd, though I didn't know he was in the area or maintaining the airplane. I don't remember any of his history prior to the 772nd. Visited Dyess last November and was as much amazed about what had changed as I was about what was still the same, including Abilene. The big new building housing the C-130 squadrons sets over the site where the 772nd and 773rd buildings used to be.

Jim

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As everyone knows this is an early A Model 55-0023, It has the window over the Nav station an it has the fuel panels for the original external fuel tanks.

The tanks were a lot larger than the 450 Gal one we ended up with on the A model. You could transfer the fuel in to the main tanks thrugh the cross feed system with one of the panels and there was two boost pumps in each tank, fore and aft. The large thanks were about the size of the Elint pod on the C-130A-II acft. You can save and blow the picture up but still can not see the panels too good. I at one time crewed 53-3134 and it had both the window and fuel panels in it. Window cracked one time so we just plated over the opening.

I crewed 3134 for 2 & 1/2 years at Ellington AFB, Texas as a LM from April 1972 until Nov 1974.

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I was stationed there for 7 1/2years, jogged past the "A" more than just a few times. Never saw the interior - at the time the 40th was responsible for the Albatross - keys to the padlock kept at the duty desk. Albatross interior was in good shape aside from some overhead panels that needed attention.

SO! Calling all stations - in one photo of the "A" there appears to be a handpump on the right side of the co-pilots seat - what the heck is that thing?

Bert

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