Spectre623

In 1983 while working at Lockheed we built 9, H models for the U.S. Coast Guard and they were known as C-130 H-7's because the Coast Guard couldn't afford -15 engines, they sent us used GFE -7 engines to be installed. The plan was to upgrade later( which they did ) when money became available. The used -7 were put into new nacelles and hung on the wings and sent on their way. These were prior to the oil cooler augmented engines. Lars book shows first one as C/N 4947. Also while deployed to Germany for Operation Provide Promise in 1993 the engine Queen Bee shop sent a -7 to Split and it was hung on a Maxwell H model aircraft by mistake. ( I described this incident in a post here a few years back) The aircraft engines were ran up and low and behold no 1083 degrees. Engine troops were NOT happy. So unless you are putting an engine with an augmented oil cooler on a -7 wing it will fit. Starter button must be held in as hold in circuit is not there on -15 starter system. Bill

WOW I'm getting old....I remember when these were brand new😟

We lived on Herky Hill as early as 1969 in Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. It's nickname was Herky bird at Sewart AFB Tn. when I first got there in 1963. We also stayed in the Herky bird Hotel many times in the 60's as we called it when we got stuck working on the Herk till it was too late to find quarters or a motel. Bill

Would like to see the inside. Does it have litters and or seats and what is the electrical requirements. Does it plug into the old iron lung outlets? Porta potty ? Just wondering about more details. When they become surplus...in a year ,I might like to buy one as a hunting cabin. 😁 Bill

Once you have a taste of the old C-130...nothing else will satisfy. Proven time and time again! Bill

Lost my uncle, Pfc Lewis Radcliffe on June 17, 1944 KIA during this invasion. Was able to visit Normandy in 1995 and find his grave which no family member had ever visited. I was there with my C-130 unit to honor D Day and ten of my maint. troops went with me to his grave. They were all in uniform and in formation and we had a ceremony where we refolded his flag over his grave. Very sober moment. Bill

OK Alan, just reread your post I see it was an H model not a tanker at that time.We had 65-971,973 and 987 H's bast as I can tell.

Hi Alan, I was a crew chief / expediter (Hotel 2), at Hill in the 1550th at that time. Do you remember the tail number or if it was an H ,P or N model? Best tour of my career there,Twice!

Thanks Sonny. I see in Lars book it has -15 engines and strengthened wings and yep it is still in the South Africa AF. I'll bet that sucker is a real hot rod! The B model was my favorite of all the Herks I worked on.

Do you know the Lockheed SN or AF tail # ? I crewed B models at Clark 69-70.

It don't appear to be an A model as it has fuel dump masts on the wing tips. I can only see one drain mast on the bottom of the engines also as the A model has two drain masts.

Staying in, doing honey -dos, cleaning out stuff. Good time to do spring cleaning. Can't do much else, can't go to the Air Museum to work. Better days ahead😄

Don I belive that was the Robins AFB museum. Ours is off the north west corner of the Lockheed plant in Mariette,Ga. Dobbins AFB. Google earth it.😁

Also Don check out the Aviation Wing, Marietta onthe net and facebook which has pics of Ghost Rider our gunship and the C-141 and others.

Don, I can't remember what CRS is.....ha ha. Saw your bio where you were on C-141's. We are about finished restoring 0186 the first 141 to be streached. It's at the museum just out the back gate at Dobbins air base. Go to C-141heaven on the web and check it out. Bill

Those were the days , huh Don? Whatever anybody thought of the war it was the adventure of my life as a young kid. Bill

Didn't know him but I was stationed at Clark as a C-130 crew chief in 1969-70's and know the routine of the flight crews as the crew chief went with his aircraft. Standard rotation of the 40 some odd C-130's and crews were as follows: Bag drag to aircraft and take off around 0600 hrs. Stopped at Subic Bay Navel base P.I. and onload pax and cargo. Flew into Vietnam and stopped at several bases to off load pax and cargo. Flew on to Cam Ranh Bay AB which was the home base while in Vietnam. Crew debriefed and went into crew rest. Crew chief inspected acft. ( BPO/Preflight). Refuel and reconfigure acft., climb up on crew bunk and sleep till 0400 when new air crew arrives. Officers file flight plan FE pulls -1 preflight with crew chief. Loadmaster waits for cargo and waits and waits. Cargo is loaded and officers arrive. Engine start and aircraft backs out of revetment. Crew chief gets sand blasted marshalling aircraft out. Sometims crew chief goes with aircraft but most times not. Crew chief and asst. split up for rest/ work schedule. Airctaft returns around 1700 hrs. Crew boards crew van goes to maint. debrief then to squadron operations debriefs then into crew rest. This routine was for a standard 15-21 day rotation to Vietnam. Some maint. support troops had a 55 day rotation to CRB also. There would be trips to other countries and some R&R but the main function of the C-130's and air crew/ maint. crews was in support of Vietnam. Normal tour of duty to Clark was 18 months but was shortened to 15 months in 1970. 24 months if you took your family to Clark. This gives you a thumbnail shot of life as an aircrew at Clark.

Hope he was holding on

Looks mean for sure, just wondering how long it would take to open the main radome or better yet, to change it.

Pallet loaders are used mainly because a full aircraft load of pallets can be weighed and C/G of the load can be worked out and can be loaded on the K loader(AF lingo) and brought to the aircraft in one trip. Saves a huge amount of time loading the aircraft. K loaders have vertical movement and power rollers to move the pallets onto the aircraft. One at a time forklift loading and unloading is for small bases or airfields that don't have large cargo handling facilities. Bill

We in the AF Reserves started using Mil-83282 around 1997-98 time frame. Everything that used hyd. fluid on our 81-84 H model C-130's was serviced with 83282 fluid. Serviced all landing gear struts with 83282. Never saw anymore 5606 after that. Retired in 2003 and were still using it then. Bill

Hi Larry, good to hear you are doing pretty well. Lots of guys our age aren't. Keep posting and good health on ya , friend.✈️

Hi Larry, how you been doing? That hyd. panel would be off a B model or newer as the A models didn't have an AUX pump. I remember having to hand pump the ramp and door open the 3 years on A models at Sewart AFB TN. UGH!!! Thought I was in Herky heaven when I went on B's at Clark AB P.I.

Thanks Metalbasher☺️

Sounds like a good time was had by all Sonny. Did you get to shoot the .50 ? That would have been icing on the cake.