bobdaley

What I heard earlier AETC J 62 ANG H2 144TRS AFRC J an associate unit 327 AMC 2 sqdn's J 41, and J 61

I think Australia was the first. They got first of 12 C-130A's 3205 Australia A97-205 in Dec 58.. BTW I think Australia has been the safest Herk operator. The got 12 A's, 12 E's, 12 H's and 12 J's and not one has been written off. Bob

Saw that Bahrain bought 2 ex RAF J models. Anyone know which ones and what their new tail numbers are? Thanks Bob

Since I have been keeping records, The 115AS CA NG and the 96AS AFRC From Minneapolis have had the longest accident free safety records. This year being 47 years without a class A accident. Just got this in, "I also forgot to mention that the 146AW accident free milestone came to an end with a class 1 accident, tail strike on C-130J 02-1463 at Taji last year. A newly acquired Navy pilot was the culprit. This incident ended the accident free milestone" I have not seen anything from the USAF about it. Bob BTW the new long time ANG unit will now be the 109AS also from Minneapolis with 46 years.

Me too, very similar to the RAF model. Bob

From Ramrod, "An Aussie maintenance crew were telling me that all their J's will be converting over to electric engine starters. I have not heard of any testing of electric starters for the AE2100 engine. The reason, so they stated, was to relieve the load and operational time on the APU in the high heat environment, go figure." Bob

I see the AF is saying they are 1300 pilots short. That wouldn't surprise me. They say they are 1200+ fighter pilots short and maybe 100 others. Is there a list some where of actual or perceived shortages by aircraft type? It seems wrong to me to want to give bonuses only to fighter pilots, that can't be good for everyone else s morale. Are the Guard and Reserve having shortages too? Particular units? If the Guard and Reserve have shortages, might it not be wise to shut a few units and bring the others up to strength? How many pilots have been condemned to drones? Can they make up the pilot shortage by having enlisted men and women, and whatever they call navs now, I heard CSO'S?, drive drones. Why not bring back WO's to drive drones? Army, Navy and Marines have no problems with WO's Just thoughts, but I had an interesting conversation with a 12 year USAF pilot, Highly thought of, even though he was a Zoomie. If I was in his shoes, I would have pulled the plug too. The airlines are not the fault, they are just a easy good job opportunity. This guy was going into banking. Unless you are really doing something you love, USAF sounds like a lousy career choice these days. Bob PS don't tell anyone, I am a Zoomie. PPS USAF retirement pay isn't much, but my experience with tricare has made all those years in the Guard and Reserve really worthwhile.

Looking at the list of H's (1978-1989) that are going to AMARG. Does anyone know why the Guard is inheriting so many 1974 H's from Yokota? Seems they would be the first to go, highest time and off active duty. I thought maybe wings but they all have new wings, then I thought avionics? I haven't a clue? Thanks Bob

Seems like they have not got the MC-130J up to speed yet either. Don't know what the problem is but I heard that AFSOC is keeping the H's at Kadena because the J was not up to speed and they mentioned the radar? Bob

A1C Thomas E. Armstrong was the ACC. He was severely injured. Bob

yes Class A mishaps Bob

Best p;lace to start ids AF Safety Center at Kirtland AFB NM. You might try Jose Gonzalez there his phone is 505-853-8794 Bob

Curtis Thanks and could you get the tail number of the Fire Department trainer? Bob

Did an MC-130H also get AMP'd? 87-0125? Bob

Got this in an e mail this AM, I added the bureau numbers Marine KC-130 Has Good Safety Record By: Megan Eckstein USNI News July 11, 2017 Updated: July 12, 2017 The KC-130T crash that killed 15 Marines and a sailor is one of only three major in-flight incidents in that aircraft type in almost the last 40 years, making the plane among the safest in use today. The C-130 Hercules, which serves as both an aerial refueling tanker and a troop and cargo transport plane for the Marine Corps, has among the best safety records in the service. It has only experienced three in-flight Class A mishaps — incidents involving loss of life or permanent disability, total loss of an aircraft, or more than $2 million in damages — according to Naval Safety Center data dating back to 1980, the center told USNI News today. Two of those Class A mishaps occurred in 2002, with the third being this week’s crash. “The KC-130 has one of the lowest mishap rates of all Marine Corps aircraft,” Marine Corps spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns told USNI News today. “Over the past 15 years, there have been only three Class A Flight Mishaps involving all Marine Corps models of the C-130, including the crash on July 10th. In 2002, there was a mishap in Pakistan which resulted in seven deaths and a mishap in California with no fatalities.” The aircraft type has also only experienced four ground-based Class A mishaps, including incidents such as towing and taxiing mishaps. The Naval Safety Center described the seven total Marine Class A mishaps as follows: • On Sept. 19, 1980, a KC-130F maintainer was killed in a ground mishap in California when the Marine was exposed to fatal levels of solvent fumes. • On Oct. 8, 1997, a KC-130F in Okinawa experienced a bleed-air ducting failure during a high-power post-maintenance run.149807 • On Jan. 9, 2002, a KC-130R in Pakistan experienced a flash fire and crashed into a mountain during its final turn headed towards an airfield in theater. Burns added this crash killed seven personnel onboard. 160021 • On Feb. 11, 2002, a KC-130F crash-landed shortly after taking off from California, leading to major and minor injuries, but no deaths. 148895 • On March 23, 2010, a KC-130J wingtip struck other aircraft while taxiing in Okinawa, Japan. • On July 28, 2016, a KC-130T experienced massive hail damage while parked on the ramp at Peterson Field in Colorado. 163592, repaired? • On July 10, 2017, a KC-130T crashed in a field in Mississippi, killing all 16 personnel onboard. 165000 • Additionally, on Jan. 9, 1990, a KC-130T was refueling another aircraft when the receiving aircraft caught fire. The pilot of that airplane ejected and survived, but that aircraft was a total loss. The KC-130T was unharmed and landed safely. This incident was at first logged as a Class A mishap for a KC-130, but the Naval Safety Center later clarified that it was only incidentally involved and that the Class A mishap was due to the other airplane. The Marine Corps currently only operates the KC-130J in its active units and the KC-130T in one remaining reserve unit. The KC-130F and R have since been retired. The C-130 family of planes was first introduced in 1954 and has been flown by the U.S. Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard, as well as by more than 70 countries around the world. The KC-130T specifically was first flown by the Marine Corps in 1983, according to Naval Air Systems Command. The Marines’ 2017 aviation plan notes the squadron involved in the crash, VMGR-452, is the last unit still operating these older planes. The active-duty units all transitioned to the new KC-130J by 2009 and the other Reserve units are transitioning or have completed the transition. VMGR-452 is expected to begin its upgrade to the new planes in Fiscal Year 2019. Additionally, Monday afternoon’s crash was unique in its great loss of life. Burns told USNI News this was the deadliest Marine Corps aviation crash in 12 years. “In addition to the most recent mishap on July 10, there has been only one mishap that resulted in the loss of 16 or more lives. In January 2005, a CH-53E Super Stallion crashed in Iraq, killing 30 Marines and one sailor.” She told USNI News that that crash happened at