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Tracking Down An Aircraft


AJGr33n
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G'day Everyone,

I am trying to find out if a particular C-130A is still flying. It started life with the RAAF as S/N A97-212 and is now I am told operating with the Serial Number N131EC. I have been able to track it to around 2006 where I found a photo of it being operated by Cherry Air Aviation Services but the trail runs cold from there.

I have looked up the data base here but it is pretty blank but it did give me a LPN 3212. (http://www.c-130hercules.net/acftdb/LPNs/LPN.php?lpn=3212&x=0&y=0)

Any help would be great as I would love to know if the old girl is still flying or not these days.

Thanks in advance.

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I have added the data for 3212 to the database. The time line for the aircraft is pretty confusing. Any updates, clarifications, corrections, or additional inputs would be greatly appreciated.

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I have added the data for 3212 to the database. The time line for the aircraft is pretty confusing. Any updates, clarifications, corrections, or additional inputs would be greatly appreciated.

I did find this.... http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/LOCKHEED-HERCULES/1957-LOCKHEED-HERCULES/1237833.htm?

But 11,815 airframe hours. This seems a little low to me for an aircraft over 50 years old.

Like you where saying the time line is very confusing.

I did find out though it was delivered on the 5th Jan 1959 to the RAAF callsign VM-JLK registion N2268A was not taken with A97-212 used thoughout its life with the RAAF.

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Earl Cherry tested a refueling pod for Army Helicopters. Last I heard he was trying to lease it to the Army for refueling but without much luck.

Earl has owned the airplane from at least 2002. Before that it was owned or leased by Max Turbine a racing team. Fritz would know the details.

Bob

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Dan, the external fuel tanks where outboard the engines on the A models. Mike

You are right about the externals on the A's, but as Dan notes, these look to have props on the front and some sort of drogues or baskets on the rear. Out at Wright-Pat last year we saw one in a flyover, with the big tanks between the engines and on each wing, out near the wing tip was another, smaller one, similar to these on this A. I am guessin' they too are refueling pods???

Giz

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I have a picture somewhere that I took from the open cargo door, with another plane taxi-ing behind us, with the taxi lights on the gear doors really bright, and "somehow", some people "may" have gotten the idea that they were guns firing. Now where that came from, I have NO idea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Out at Wright-Pat last year we saw one in a flyover, with the big tanks between the engines and on each wing, out near the wing tip was another, smaller one, similar to these on this A. I am guessing' they too are refueling pods???

Yep, refueling pods

There for awhile they were used for a top secret mission and the refueling pods were replaced with DATR mod 56 (dead alien transfer receptical), it had a rotary storage system and we could transfer up to 12 aliens at once per pod (that figure was for the small grays). I got to help transfer the alien biosamples from area 51 to wright pat.

Or how about the antenna "machine guns" on the wings of the ABCCC birds?

We used to tell people the HF antennas were 20mm cannons LOL

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Bob, why does that A model have refueling pods in place of externals?

There was a gov't contract to provide refueling training for spec ops helicopters not to tie up SOF assets.

Sort of the same kind of reason why this A model (N118TG, ex-USAF 57-0512) has a Hellfire missile rack in place of the right external, i.e. a nice government contract.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2940[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2941[/ATTACH]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2942[/ATTACH]

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During Red Flag in Oct '83 this was discussed during one of those meetings/briefings. Thought it would a good idea to outfit a few Hercs to fly in formation with the troop/cargo droppers or going across the big pond. Act like they're just one of the guys, and then vroosh. Cancel 1 target or 2.

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  • 1 month later...
Dan, the external fuel tanks where outboard the engines on the A models. Mike
A-models had drop tanks; E-models had external tanks. The A-model drop tanks were originally designed for T-33s. Lockheed started modifying As for drop tanks starting around 1960. Before that, they had no external tanks and used Benson tanks for Pacific deployments. The drop mechanism was later removed and the installations became semi-permanent. We couldn't make it to Hickam in an A in the winter time. I was on a mod bird mission and we had to go to Elemendorf, then to Midway to make it back to Naha.
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