Hush Posted January 29, 2018 Share Posted January 29, 2018 Excellent article on the Mighty Herc from AF Times: https://www.airforcetimes.com/off-duty/military-culture/2018/01/24/the-c-130-hercules-is-the-perfect-airlifter/?utm_source=clavis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Hush, Thanks. Great article But unlike Kelly Johnson my first thought when dropped off in front of the C-130 (an "E" model, 63-7872 at McGuire AFB) for the first time was "It looks like a mole with wings". I had just come from Chanute AFB after training on B-52's and told the line supervisor that there must be some mistake. I trained on jet engines, not props!! Turned out to be the best "mistake" of my AF career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casey Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Having little exposure to aviation prior to joining the Air Force, I was pissed when I learned that I was going to be on C-130s. Like most young men I wanted to work on the fast jets. It didn't take me long to realize that I had lucked-out and to develop a great respect and dare I say, love for the 130! "Real Planes Have props!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RZHill Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 I felt the same when I was assigned to Chennault in58 aftertraining on C-130 s, B47!!!for 4 years . After A move to Lockborne and the base getting C-130s I was Happy as iwas for 33 total years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GVS Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Pretty much a unanimous feeling in the C130 community with people who worked on or flew the Herk.Having worked on many different types of aircraft after the 130 it remains my NUMBER 1! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry myers Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 Pretty much in the same boat as everyone above. Went to B-47E tech. school at Amarillo AFB and then five years in the B-47 wing at Mtn. Home. Reassigned to a classified C-30A II sqd. at Rhein-Main AB. At the time had never seen a Herc., and didn't even know such an acft. existed. On first sight I exclaimed, what the heck is that doodad on the front of the engines. No swept wings...very disappointed. From that day in June 1962 until mid 1978 I was attached to the C-130 in one way or another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlg6016 Posted January 30, 2018 Share Posted January 30, 2018 And the old girl is pretty much Marine proof! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spectre623 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1962 basic, then Jet over two engines (B-47) at Amarillo then straight to the C-130 school house at Sewart AFB TN. After 30 years on the old gal and almost 3 years building H models at Lockheed I still get a thrill when I see one fly by or when I pat Ghost Rider on the nose at the Marietta Museum. Also she put a lot of beans on my table. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nascarpop Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 Flew a ton of hours on the bird. Never worked on anything else. Straight out of basic at Amarillo to Shepard for tech school. Then on to Naha on A models and CRB. Then to Pope E models. Lots of flight miles. Also makes me look up when I hear one. 45 years later! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mt.crewchief Posted March 22, 2018 Share Posted March 22, 2018 I'm sure glad I decided to read this article about our Herk. When I got out of basic, I was scheduled to go to Lowry for Weapons and Munitions training. Then of course the Air Force decided to change my career field. To what---nobody knew. I got orders to go to Shepherd, went to PAT School for awhile, did KP twice, then finally got orders to start school as a 43151F ---! Nobody in the squadron knew what that was. Finally through research, a friend and I discovered that we were going to school to learn about a C-130. We drove around until until we found the building that we were starting school in. We laughed at that big snub nosed silver airplane looking and decided it must be a C-130. A few months later, I was working on them at Naha (A Models), and for the next thirty three months I lived on them and E models at CCK. It was the best experience of my life! I will never forget the times and friends And experiences I had on the Herk. I would have re-enlisted if the C-133 wouldn't have soured my good relationship with the Air Force. Also, since I had never had stateside duty, and had no guarantees of working on the Hercules again, and also having been promoted to Ssgt. I figured it was too risky. Sorry about the long post, Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jcapsparkchaser Posted March 23, 2018 Share Posted March 23, 2018 On 1/30/2018 at 6:46 AM, Sonny said: Hush, Thanks. Great article But unlike Kelly Johnson my first thought when dropped off in front of the C-130 (an "E" model, 63-7872 at McGuire AFB) for the first time was "It looks like a mole with wings". I had just come from Chanute AFB after training on B-52's and told the line supervisor that there must be some mistake. I trained on jet engines, not props!! Turned out to be the best "mistake" of my AF career. Sonny, after Chanute Aircraft Electricians school I went straight to Naha, took a bus from Kadena to Naha was put in FMS barracks "the hill" looked down on flight line and gasped what in the world is this the A model Herc. I worked a few other frames most notable the F-4 at Ubon 71-72, but spent the rest of my career as an ART on E model 130s 63 models to be exact. I spent the last 4 years of my career at Pope as Avionics Branch Chief the 440th on 87-88 models from Milwaukee . Yes the Herc is was and always will be a great aircraft . Anytime, Anywhere, you call we haul! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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