Spectre623

Hey Eclark I remember the washrack well, all of us APG jeeps had to spend our first 30 days at Sewart washing Herks. I remember a huge brush with wheels on a long curved handle we used to scrub the belly with. We put skin brightner on them after we washed them. They were shiney alum at that time. I remember the washrack NCOIC was a 20 year SSgt who changed into civvies after work and hitch hiked home everyday. Remember washing the red and blue water paint off the wings after the wargames. What a mess. Bill

That was (is) standard practice for the AF also. You would get yelled at if you just went to Door Close or just pulled the EMER release handle. Bill

Yes Sonny, they turned over all the AC-47s and I beleve all the AC-119s along with about 18 C-130A's with several BLU-82s (15000 lb) bombs that the SVN used pretty well. Sam M. isn't there documentation on one bomb drop by SVN that killed about 100 or more NVA ? Bill

Was looking thru the Lockheed Service News # 27 on this site and saw a picture of the Sewart AFB flight line back in 1961 on the front cover. It looked the same as when I signed in April 1963. The 314 th Herks occupy the first half of the flt line closest to the camera. The back half of the flt. line belonged to the 4442 CCTW/ 4445/46thCCTS. "I" row which was the maint eng run row was to the extreme left of the pic. The fuel pits (10 each) are closest to the camera and run from left to right. Most all training flights ended on the pits where they were debriefed, fueled and launched for the evening sorties. Along the right extreme side was the 6 nose docks. In the fatherest far view were the two Periodic Insp docks and next to them was the "Big Hanger" which could hold four Herks at once. I think you can count 60 or 70 C-130s in the pic and there are a few more parking spots not shown. I spent 4 great years there as a C/C in the 314th OMS and a scanner in the 4445thCCTS. 18 miles from Nashville. What a HUGH shame for that base to be closed! It WAS the AF's best kept secret!!! Bet a lot of you OLD guys remember this scene also. Bill

For you guys who were wondering about Rich Piacentine aka crewchef from CCK. I emailed him and he is alive and kicking . He still breeds his dogs and says he is super busy with his job and says HI to all. Bill

Hey Jim that is great. Makes good sense not to throw away all those years of active duty...plus the out fit at Maxwell can use a good wrench like you. You will be glad you stuck it out when you hit 60. Those are a great bunch of guys at Maxwell, have been on many a deployment with them. Went to the desert twice with them and several Panama rotes with them. Bill

You are right ECLARK and we all knew it too. I knew I was a Viet Vet all along but it's sweet to have that official letter from Randolph AFB and that cute little medal. As I asked in my first post ; Did you old Clark,CCK and Naha 130 maint. guys normally GET or NOT GET awarded the VNSM ? I know the flight crews got them. Just never seemed important back then to us maint pukes. Bill

No Muff I ain't "Crew chief". That was Rich Pasintine (sp). He lives over in Hirem Ga. not to far from you.Haven't heard from Rich since after he left Toyota in Marietta. I'm Bill down the road from you. Remember lunch at Vittles just after you moved here? Bill

A few months ago I decided to drop a line to the AF records correction guys. I told them I had never gotten the VN service medal and campain medal but had been TDY several times to VN from Clark. Sent them copies of orders, travel vouchers and 214's etc.. Well they just sent me a nice official letter with one each (MEDAL SET,VIETNAM SERVICE ,REGULAR SIZE) They said I spent over 5 months in-country and an updated 214 will be sent to me. Well 40 years late ain't too bad for our gub-ment I guess, ha ha . The campain medal has to be approved by another office, down the hall. I guess it pays to keep your old paperwork! Was this normal to NOT get the medal because we were TDY or did most of you old Clark, CCK and Naha guys get your Vietnam medals?

I think the records show the first 18 built had the side opening NLG doors. Bill

Way to go Casey. All the problems I had with the old format are gone;) with this new set up. Thanks for hanging in there. Bill

Yep, same here. Went to tech school at Amarillo AFB on B-47\'s. Half the class went across the runway to SAC and most of the rest of us went to Sewart on C-130\'s. Dodged that bullet!!. Bill:P

Hey Bob, I was working at the Lockwasher when these CG birds came down the assembly line. They were shown as HC-130H-7\'s on the build sheet. The engine shop at that time was to the left and next to the last assembly position on the line. We watched them bring the -7\'s in, in their cans and build them up into new nacelles. One point of contention I remember was the new sealed starters being used at that time. The Navy wouldn\'t let Lockheed put the sealed starters on, but instead made them use the old type with the dipstick.(We had the sealed ones at Dobbins at that time and loved them) We were told the reason they had -7\'s instead of -16\'s yep -16\'s was because the CG\'s budget wasn\'t enough for an airplane with new engines but would come later in another budget. This was known as GFE equipment.The Navy took care of the CG paperwork at Lockheed at that time . Bill:)

Don R., I looked on the site you refed. It is a white L-100-30, and the info shows it is cn 5000. It has an engine missing and a tail stand under it right? Yes it now has the long wire HF ant installed but if you go to a large magnification (Hold Ctrl down and roll your mouse button) you will see the base of the vert fin and it appears the composite HF ant is painted over. Also note that the acft has the large FAA side escape hatch installed.If it had the large escape hatch it should have the composite HF ant.Hey it\'s been 23 years ha ha dead brain cells duh... Bill:)

Ok Loadsmith here is your answer.That black fairing at the base of the vert fin in the picture is the HF ant. This change along with others I will list below were incorporated on Lockheed ship serial number 5000 which I helped build in early 1985.Listed below were other major changes made from ship 5000 onward. HF long wires deleted. 1. HF Ant located in base of vert fin. All vert fin leading edges from then on would not fit eailer 130\'s. 2.Self contained flushable tolet. 3. Dual large FAA approved side escape hatches. 4. Dual I.N.S. 5. Dual aircraft batteries. 6. 4 pitot tubes (Rosemont sys I think) 7.Color radar. Hope this helps. Bill:blink:

Had the flight crew call in a possible bird strike on a night sortie. Met the acft and no blood or guts anywhere were noted. During the BPO the c/c noticed a hawk claw sticking out of a crack on the #3 spinner. The bird had struck the spinner, split it enough for the whole bird to enter the spinner and struck the dome. The complete, totally destroyed bird except it\'s claw was inside the spinner. Bill

Boeing may be whiners but they are OUR whiners. You are correct US Herk, the maint end WILL be a nightmare for a long time. Let\'s see....where is my METRIC wrench to tighten this METRIC clamp that holds this METRIC hose to this METRIC fitting. Sure, you can change the units tools over to METRIC tools and change their benchstock over to METRIC bolts, nuts ect., but what happens when you land at a non-airbus base and you need some enroute support. You wont feel the pain while you are in crew rest but old Joe bag-o-donuts Crew chief will be scrambling!!! The work will get done, it always does, but for a long time it will be painful...I know cause I\'ve been there and done that. This deal still sucks!!! Bill:angry:

Whatever happened to BUY AMERICAN. $135M per 767 VS $160M per 330. EADS is bragging about their IFR boom having flown 50 times..hmmm Boeings boom flown..oh bout 40 YEARS..yep give me the EADS boom...right! Bill

I hope Boeing fights it in court. That so-called Grumman (EADS) airplane is in reality an Airbus-330. It will create about 2000 jobs in Mobile Al.where it will be assembled, whereas if Boeing (767) had gotten it, it would have created approx 44,000 AMERICAN jobs from 300 suppliers and Boeing in 40 states!!!The FRENCH, GERMANS and BRITS get the 44,000 jobs. Just remember if the FRENCH don\'t like our policies they don\'t send us any SPARE PARTS....and they usually don\'t !!! Also the 767 is closer to the size of a KC-135. The 330 is 35% larger and 20% heavier and this means access to less runways/airports than the 767. 767 burns 24% less fuel per minute than the 330, thats approx $10 Billion in life cycle savings. WHAT WERE THESE PEOPLE THINKING?? (ie. JOHN MCCAIN) !!! : Bill

Hey Don, yes I was. He and an engine troop were chaining down their tool boxes next to 245 when the door blew. His first name was Gary I think. It was a B model best I remember. I was on the A\'s when it happened. Bill

When I was stationed at Sewart I remember a troop drop incident with our planes at Ft. Bragg that cost some troopers lives and injuries. I think it was about 1964 or 65. Does anyone have any details on this ? Thanks, Bill

This is a long shot but I was wondering if any of you old timers on this board were in the 17th TAS at the Dorf in Jan. 1972. I was stationed at Hill AFB in the 1550 ATTW. I was on night shift when I got a call from the AC of a transient A model. They had RONed at Hill and the TA crew had towed their airplane while they were in crew rest and he thought they had broke it. When I got there the FE told me to look in the left wheel well. What I saw was hard to believe...the lower fwd shoe had popped out of the track on the fwd gear and the jackscrew was bowed like a dogs hind leg and had retracted about 2-3 inches. He says...can you help us...Ha Ha I says. This was way before the depot there was doing 130\'s, only F-4s and O-2s. To make a long story short we jacked it and the only way we could get to the shoes was to enlarge the insp window with a crash axe (no sheet metal support on nights), put the shoes back in place and chain the gear down. Anyway, I was wondering what the guys thought when they got their plane back with the king size hole in the wheel well? The AC said \"Do what you gotta do\" This was on 4 Jan.1972, according to a letter I got from a Maj. Bruce V. Cook, Commander 17 TAS. Bill

Hey Donwon, GOX is gaseous oxygen, used on The A and B model C-130 and LOX is liquid oxygen used on the E and up Air Force models. Bill

Hey Donwon,I was on a 60 day rote to Clark with you when that happened. It was GOX not LOX and yes, the mechanic who was burned was picked up at the acft in an HH-43 Husky and taken to the base hospital. Another Sewart crew chief and I had the plane ready for the crew and it was due to rotate back to Sewart that day. We were sitting on the flt deck BSing and this guy drove up with the tractor and GOX cart and asked if we needed any O2 and we said no we had almost a full load. He said he would top us off anyway. We said ok but did not leave the flt deck like the regs said we should. After a couple of minutes all hell broke lose with a big WHOOSH and a million sparks at the right side of the nose and we jumped off the flt deck and found him laying next to the nose tire with the O2 hose from the cart whipping around. My friend dragged the burned mech across the drainage ditch and I drove the tractor toward the taxi way and jumped off. The guy was burned on his neck but his hands and fingers were burned very badly with skin hanging off. We lucked out that day though,the line from the servicing valve to the check valve was completly burned away but we had a check valve that did not leak, as most of them did, or it would have blown the O2 tanks under the flt deck and I wouldn\'t be writing this. They found an oily sealent on his 4 in. adj wrench. This was an A model. Larry South and Richard Putz were with us, do you remember them and are you Don Cameron? Bill

My My, don\'t those windows look so much larger on the \"J\" ...all joking aside, I saw a Lockheed flying demo at Fairford,England a few years back and with 30 years on the Herk, I had never seen one do the \"tricks\" that \"J\" did. It ain\'t a one trick pony fer sure!! VERY impressive! Bill :)