Dutch

C-130 Hercules: Air Force's 'old reliable' airlifter still on the front lines Posted 12/22/2010 by Master Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol Air Mobility Command Public Affairs 12/22/2010 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Pick any day for airlift operations in Afghanistan and there's a high probability you'll see a C-130 Hercules taking off from a forward operating base filled with cargo and troops. You also might see a C-130 cruising between Afghan mountain peaks on an airdrop mission directly supplying the "beans and bullets" to troops on the ground. Since 1956, it's been operations like those for Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan where the C-130 has proved its worth time and time again. Historical airframe The initial production model was the C-130A. A total of 219 were ordered and deliveries began in December 1956. In May 1959, the first of 34 C-130Bs entered Air Force service. In August 1962, C-130Es came into service. They originally were designed for Tactical Air Command as a "short-range assault transport" to support the U.S. Army's airborne operations, according to the Air Mobility Command history publication, "Anything, Anywhere, Anytime: An Illustrated History of the Military Airlift Command, 1941-1991." The first C-130E assigned to the Air Force went to the 1608th Air Transport Wing at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., now Joint Base Charleston. As the C-130 saw more and more service, particularly during the Vietnam War, the airframe gained a reputation as a reliable plane with improved capabilities over older airlifters. "Military Air Transport Service aircrews did find the Hercules rugged and dependable for theater operations where its airborne, short-field landing, and straight-in, truck bed, rear-loading capabilities were especially needed," the history publication states. "As an interim strategic transporter, the C-130E gave MATS the capability to traverse the Atlantic Ocean nonstop and cross the Pacific with one refueling stop." During the Vietnam War, the C-130 was part of an effort that was unprecedented until that time, history shows. Between 1962 and 1973, C-130s were part of an overall airlift force that saw transports from both MAC and TAC deliver the equivalent of more than 7 million tons passengers and cargo within the deployed area of operations. "By comparison, allied aircraft carried about 2 million tons during the Berlin Airlift and three-quarters of a million tons during the Korean War," the history publication states. Also during the Vietnam War, the C-130 largely gained a reputation as a "tactical" airlifter because of its airdrop and air-land mission capabilities. However, the history publication states the "so-called 'tactical' C-130, originally designed as a strategic airlifter, often performed 'strategic' missions." The C-130 proved, in essence, that airlift doctrine "was not absolute" and this type of flexibility in airlift capability would continue with the C-130 as well as other airlift airframes. Why it's an 'old reliable' According to an AMC talking paper from December 2010, the C-130 "enables AMC's rapid, tactical mobility airlift into austere airfields and flies both airdrop and aeromedical evacuation missions." Facts show the C-130 does that and more. Its Air Force fact sheet states, "Basic and specialized versions of the airframe perform a diverse number of roles, including airlift support, Antarctic resupply, aeromedical missions, weather reconnaissance, aerial spray missions, firefighting duties for the U.S. Forest Service and natural disaster relief missions." To do such a wide variety of missions, flexibility is important. "Using its aft loading ramp and door, the C-130 can accommodate a wide variety of oversized cargo, including everything from utility helicopters and six-wheeled armored vehicles to standard palletized cargo and military personnel," the fact sheet states. "In an aerial delivery role, it can airdrop loads up to 42,000 pounds or use its high-flotation landing gear to land and deliver cargo on rough, dirt strips." The flexible design of the C-130 also "enables it to be configured for many different missions, allowing for one aircraft to perform the role of many. Much of the special mission equipment added to the Hercules is removable, allowing the aircraft to revert back to its cargo delivery role if desired. Additionally, the C-130 can be rapidly reconfigured for the various types of cargo such as palletized equipment, floor-loaded material, airdrop platforms, Container Delivery System bundles, vehicles and personnel or aeromedical evacuation." In addition to the C-130E, other variants of the airframe include the C-130H and the C-130J. The C-130J is the newest. In a December AMC talking paper, it shows the C-130J, with its three-person crew and improved performance, "is designed to replace the oldest C-130 legacy aircraft." "The extended (by 15 feet) fuselage provides additional cargo carrying capacity for the Air Force combat delivery mission," the talking paper shows. "The C-130J, with its increased cargo capacity, improved performance and modern avionics is quickly becoming the weapon system of choice for intra-theater airlift." Ironically, C-130Es were flying when the C-124 Globemaster II was still in service. Though C-130Es are on their way to being retired, there are many still flying. After 54 years of service, aircrew members say the C-130 is as important, and reliable, now as it has ever been for the worldwide airlift effort by the Air Force and Air Mobility Command. "The C-130 is the up-close and personal arm of this support chain, often exposing itself and crew to direct hostilities to provide a responsive level of support and becoming intermingled with the warfighter it is tasked to support," said Master Sgt. John Gorsuch, a member of Headquarters AMC's Air Operations Squadron Detachment 5 at Rosecrans Air National Guard Base in St. Joseph, Mo. Sergeant Gorsuch, a career 16-year C-130 loadmaster, serves as an instructor in the Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center. He's trained in every aspect of the C-130 loadmaster job, and in his current position he passes on his experience and knowledge to students in airlift career fields from across the U.S. military and the globe. "The C-130 supports both direct engagement with the enemy and provides (troops on the ground) with timely sustainment on a scale unmatched anywhere in the world," Sergeant Gorsuch said. "To add to this capability, any aircrew in AMC, including in the C-130, can switch from executing a combat mission to supporting humanitarian missions in the blink of an eye." Mission success in 2010 Regardless of whether the plane is an aging C-130E model or the new C-130J Super Hercules, the airframe is highly valued for its capabilities every day, either for combat or humanitarian missions. By simply looking at the numbers for 2010, it's easy to see why. For example, in supporting airdrops in Afghanistan in 2010, C-130s and the Airmen who fly them and maintain them have been part of a record year. Through Nov. 30, Air Forces Central statistics show more than 52.6 million pounds of cargo have been airdropped in Afghanistan. That's already 20 million more pounds than what was delivered the previous record year of 2009. The C-130 also was involved in supporting a "first" in 2010, an AFCENT news report shows. In March, a C-130 completed the first low-cost, low altitude airdrop in Afghanistan. That was accomplished by dropping bundles weighing 80 to 500 pounds, with pre-packed expendable parachutes, in groups of up to four bundles per pass. The drops are termed "low-cost" reflecting the relative expense of the expendable parachutes compared to their more durable, but pricier nylon counterparts, the report said. "Low-altitude" alludes to the relative height from which bundles are released from the aircraft. Also, as of Nov. 30, C-130s have been one of the airframes helping achieve high airlift results in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility for intra-theater airlift. Statistics show there have been nearly 1.3 million airlift passengers and 265,600 tons of cargo moved. In supporting 2010 humanitarian missions, C-130s also have been crucial in their support. During Operation Unified Response in January, AMC Airmen delivered more than 13,600 short tons of cargo to Haiti and C-130s were in the middle of the action. They also transported more than 25,800 passengers and moved more than 280 patients for aeromedical evacuation, statistics show. During Pakistan flood relief efforts from July 29 to Oct. 3, Air Force support included using C-130s and C-17s, records show. A C-130 was the first to deliver assistance, delivering 8,000 Halal meals from Afghanistan to Pakistan. Overall, according to the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad, C-17 and C-130 aircraft and their aircrews worked in close partnership with Pakistan's military and National Disaster Management Authority to transport more than 5.5 million pounds to flood victims nationwide. Changing times, promising future On Nov. 29, C-130E Hercules aircraft 62-1788 was flown from Little Rock AFB, Ark., to Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., to be retired from service. It marked the beginning of an effort that will see most C-130Es retired by September 2011. Col. Mark Czelusta, the h314th Airlift Wing commander and a veteran C-130 pilot, may have said it best on reflecting why C-130s are so cherished by those who fly them, maintain them and work with them. "It's hard to believe that by September, the (Air Force) will no longer fly these venerable planes," Colonel Czelusta said in a Dec. 9 news report by 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs. "With more than 35,000 hours on each airframe, each tail number developed its own personality over the years. The newer C-130Hs and the most advanced C-130Js are doing phenomenally well, and they will certainly develop their own personalities over time -- many already have -- but the E-model fleet is special. They are like family members to the men and women who maintain and fly them." (Tech. Sgt. Joe Kapinos, 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs, and Capt. Joe Knable, 19th Airlift Wing Public Affairs, contributed to this report.)

I never did pass it one time.

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (Little Rock) December 12, 2010 Pg. 1 Memories Lift Crew On C-130's Last Flight Base's aging planes taxi to Boneyard By Amy Schlesing, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. - The plane cut across the sky over the southern Arizona desert as Col. Mark Czelusta squared its wings and lined up for its last landing. The 48-year-old C-130 had flown like a champ all the way from Little Rock Air Force Base. "Seems like she could fly forever," said Tech. Sgt. Ken Williams, the flight engineer. Tail No. 1788 climbed fast and flew beautifully during the five-hour flight from Arkansas. The plane's four engines never fell out of sync, even in their oil-pressure readings. But nothing lasts forever. Tail No. 1788 will never fly again. This is home to the "Boneyard," the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group - where aging planes are bundled up against the elements and stored. Some are kept ready to fly and sold to allied nations; some are used for parts. Eventually, all are chopped up and recycled. More than half of the 131 C-130s stored at the Boneyard, near Tucson, Ariz., have "The Rock" emblazoned on their tails. Over the next 10 months, at least 15 more Little Rock Air Force Base C-130Es will be sent to the Boneyard as the Air Force's plan to retire its C-130E fleet winds down. The 2011 defense budget called for the expedited retirement of all E-models, which require more maintenance, so the Air Force can afford more J-models and pay for avionics upgrades to the 1980-and 1990-era H-models. Little Rock Air Force Base is the last bastion for the C130E Hercules, the oldest cargo planes in the U.S. military. The 314th Airlift Wing will retire its last E-model - the flagship - in September. Little Rock's 19th Airlift Wing will be the last unit in the Air Force to fly C-130Es. The 19th's 61st Airlift Squadron is expected to fly them well into 2012 - until enough Jmodels are purchased to rep lace their Es. And that all depends on the defense-authorization bill now hung up in Congress. "That [defense budget] will give us a peek at what the J buy is," said Col. Mike Minihan, 19th commander. Air Force Secretary Michael Donley predicts a $256 million reduction in operational and maintenance costs by retiring the E-model fleet. A new C-130J - the model currently rolling off Lockheed Martin's assembly line - costs about $68 million. The C-130J has proved itself invaluable in Afghanistan, where a lack of roads requires troops to be resupplied by air. The C-130 can land in places no other plane can and is used more than any other aircraft in Afghanistan. Little Rock Air Force Base is the largest C-130 base in the world with more than 100 planes. Long before the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the C-130E had proved itself in Vietnam and Grenada, the first Persian Gulf War and Bosnia. "This plane is as much, if not more, of an airman than I am," Williams said. The Herk The C-130 is nicknamed Hercules - Herk for short. And like most mechanical things, many who work and fly them find each plane has a personality among its steel and technology. "There are guys who think planes have a soul," said Master Sgt. Joel Sparta, a crew chief with the 314th's 62nd Airlift Squadron. He's one of them. "It's ridiculous, really," he said. "You talk to it while you work on it. People think you're crazy. But you put that much work into it, it's got a piece of you in it. It's got your sweat, a bit of skin off your knuckles. Each of these planes are a direct reflection of you, of your work ethics, of your character, everything. It's hard to see them go." Ask any member of a C130 flight crew, young or old, and they will have stories of dirt landings and adventure in far-off lands. These planes hold history in their metal skins. Patchwork done to fix bullet holes during Vietnam can be seen on many of the E-models. Tail No. 1788 flew combat missions in Vietnam from 1964-19 73 and still bears the scars of that war. "It's called a legacy aircraft because it's old," Sparta said. "But think of everything that it's seen. How many wrench-turners have busted their knuckles for years keeping that same plane flying all these years?" Until last week, Tail No. 1788 was flown by Little Rock's 314th Airlift Wing to train new C-130 crews. Before that, Arkansas National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing flew it. In a 2008 letter to the 189th, retired Chief Master Sgt. Frank "Muff " Millen remembered the plane like a long-lost buddy as he recounted the day in 1973 that led to his and the crew's receipt of the Silver Star for valor. "On the last day of the Vietnam War we went to Dalat Cam Lai to pick up the [Vietnam] cadets to take them around the country to explain to the locals that the war was over. During engine-running loading of the cadets, the base came under heavy mortar fire." The crew replaced a wheel and prepared to take off when the gas turbine compressor - the plane's power generator - quit. A jump-start got them flying, but the more than 400 shrapnel holes caused a major fuel leak and led to an emergency landing in Thailand. "It was a very memorable day. ... Glad to see that the old girl is still flying," he wrote to the 189th last year. That electrical quirk stayed with the plane its whole life. When Tail No. 1788 landed at the Boneyard, the generator quit. Master Sgt. Doug Tillery was 1788's crew chief at the 189th for more than 13 years. Laughed when he heard about the power failure in Vietnam and at the Boneyard. "It did that for years. The crews stopped writing it up years ago," he said. "That's typical '88." The Boneyard The seemingly endless rows of more than 4,400 Boneyard planes spread across 2,600 acres of desert dominated the landscape as Czelusta nudged Tail No. 1788 to the ground at Davis-Monthan. The crew wondered if this would really be the plane's last landing. Several nations such as Romania and Poland are buying E-models and investing in new wings to extend their lives. The fleet was grounded in 2005 due to wing stress fractures. They returned to the air a year later with restrictions on how long they could fly. Tail No. 1788 has about 6,000 more flying hours left before flying limits would be imposed and is more than 10,000 hours away from mandatory grounding and wing replacement. As they prepared to land, the crew chatted about how well the plane flew. "It's as if we told her, 'If you mess up one more time, we're sending you to the Boneyard,'" said Capt. James Sinclair, the navigator. The plane slowed down as a 118-knot wind pounded its nose. "She doesn't want to go," quipped Capt. Greg Steenberge, the co-pilot. Just then, something dripped onto his head from the control panel above. The plane landed and rolled toward a special taxiway to the Boneyard. "This place is giving me the willies," Sinclair said. "All the dead planes over there, it's sort of fatalistic for a [navigator]." The new J-model and the avionics upgrade on the Hmodels both eliminate the need for a navigator. The work of a human navigator is being replaced by computers. Legacy "In 1953, Lockheed built a dump truck," said Lt. Col. Louis Treer of Arkansas National Guard's 189th Airlift Wing two days after 1788 was retired. "You can park them side by side, new and old, and it's still a dump truck." The Herk was built for landing in the most-rugged places - dirt, gravel, grass or snow - to haul troops and supplies directly to the front line. The stories from Vietnam that have followed the E-models for four decades are just being lived in the battlefields of Afghanistan, where C-130Js are again getting shot up during low-level airdrops and dirt landings to supply troops. Maj. Justin Barry, 314th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron commander, said it's those experiences that tie people to these planes. "You're all living together, working in th e dirt and the heat together," he said at Little Rock Air Force Base, reflecting on his life with Emodels. It's that group experience in austere conditions where the plane becomes part of that experience and part of the group. Czelusta has said that a pilot's first plane is like a girlfriend you never forget. That was never more evident than at the Boneyard. "It is kind of creepy," he said as he steered the plane over the concrete, the rhythmic thump of the rolling wheels tapping out a cadence. "Dead man walking. Dead man walking." They pulled up to a team of maintenance personnel waiting to swarm the plane. Czelusta shut down the engines and said, "Old girlfriend, you earned your keep." The gas turbine compressor quit and refused to restart. "She's mad," Williams said as he tried to restart the system, patting the control panel on the ceiling. "She is mad. It's OK, girl." Staff Sgt. Allen Plack cranked the cargo door closed by hand and then joined 309th personnel to inventory all the equipment on the plane. The plane's entire maintenance history - every engine change and every Xray of its rivet joints - was packed into an expandable folder more than two feet thick and sealed in a plastic bag that will always remain with the plane. "I think that's the only reason they let me fly on this mission," he said with a smile. There is no cargo to monitor on a plane's final flight. Steenberge walked around the plane, giving it a final look. He rubbed the nose and gave the plane a pat on the belly by the landing gear as he always does. Outside, members of the 309th confirmed that the plane was destined to become a parts plane - a mechanical organ donor. The crew took a drive through the Boneyard, looking at all the planes. They saw old Herk friends like "Bob" and "Patches" and "Damien." Memories of deployments and missions replaced conversation as they quietly looked at row after row of planes with "The Rock" on the tails. It was a look ba ck and the way forward all at the same time for the Herk crew. "There's a little bit of pride as I look at all of these. And a little bit of ... well ... ," Czelusta said, his words drifting off to mingle with his memories of years past. "It's like you're walking through the history of your career."

Bob, I would like to have them. I colect cockpit pictures too. "Dutch"

71 the 18th of next month.

RB-47E 70th SRW, Little Rock AFB, AR before there were sidewalks there. B-47E 384 BW, Little Rock AFB, AR after sidewalks were added. C-133's Dover AFB, DL, My time in hell. OV-10A's Da Nang AB, RVN, What a place?

Maggi 3

Looks to be a rig for checking acft for icing. Fly to high altatude, have acft to be checked fly behind you and dump out a lot of water (fine mist) to be frozen quickly. To check handling and deice equip. Just a guess on my part.

Tiny, You must have been a crew member.

It is on the left side of the home page.

Send it to me too so I can send you some money. <[email protected]>

How about the 1 that landed gear up in Iraq????

Thanks OEO, I got it.

OEO, Could you post large picture of your avitar? Would like to see it close up. Thanks.

Damn That is great. Was able to read the data plate. It is a P-51C-5NT, 42-108645, Built at Dallas, TX.

What do you mean no galley on the A model? Have you for gotten the hot cup? Cooked a lot of soup in them, had the crews asking me to share . Realy like to fix French Onion Soup in them. Made every one hungry.:(

If you had that kind of stuff on your flight deck floor you were not much of a crew chief. :eek: (Remember the FOD program?) And I never saw any damage to the tail or the top of the aircraft from doing this. :)

Years ago on the old A model acft I had a oxegen hose fixed up so that I could vacum the flight deck on the last leg of a mission coming back in to Evreux. It did cause a lot of ear popping when the end got pluged.

Ken I was stationed there then and was the safety superviser. We may know each other.

Hot damn I like that.

Hey! 118th AES Retired, Can you send me your final copy of the A modal history. [email protected]

I was stationed @ Evreux AB, France living @ Dreux Housing 33 miles south. When I heard about it from the AP's on a hailer truck.

I for got that I had these.

I think this dead horse has been beat enuff:):)

Is your data on these acft on your computer and could you send it to me? [email protected]