FLYBOY773

Hey there folks , well after 32 years in the military, yesterday was my last day as a military C-130H Flight Engineer. Just wanted to sayThanks to all the guys out there that have helped me through out my carreer. Now its time for me to start a new chapter in my life. as a civilian. I plan on flying civ herks somewhere. They will never make another bird like the Herk. I truly love the C-130. So you all fly safe out there. Thanks everybody Archie

Already working on it, Thanks,

Hey there Herk400 M ,I have stuff that you are looking for. I fly C-130H2 at youngstown Ohio. I put togather a Manual to use along with , Chapter 12 Hostile environment repair procedures. I could send them to you via E-mail just let me know your E-mail address and i'll fire them in your direction. I have been flying Herks for 25 years. well keep the dirty side down and fly safe out there. Archie

It stands for Airborne Battlefield Command and Control Center, It was a 19,000lbs capsule that went into the back of the EC-130. Archie There where some EC-130's that had UARRSI installed for the Iran Hostage rescue 62-1818, 62-1825,62-1857, 62-1809 was lost at dessert one. Archie

Being a former gunship F.E at the 16th SOS . Ghost riders in the sky is still the Official Theme Song . I remember being told when I first started flying the Gunpig . IF your out in a bar and the Song is played You had to stand at attenion to Honor all our felllow Gunship Crew Dogs Past and those that had Fallen. Another Song that was known by thr gunship boys and gals is the Song BAD Company, By Bad Company, due to the fact that there is aLine in the Song that goes ( Six Gun Sound, Is our claim to Fame) Our Six gun on the H model was the 105mm. I'm a firm belevier in there is no Such thing as Over Kill. We had one acft tail No# 6570 that IS named Bad Co. If you aint Spectre , You aint Sh**,, Hooooooo Archie

tail Number 89-9101 is not a H 2.5 . It a Straight H2, If you guys want I will call Mansfield and get there tail numbers for you. The big differance is that the 2.5 has some glass on the pilots and copilots instrument panel. The U model Gunship is a converted H2 so they are a class by themselves. I did allot of test flying out at Chino for the SOFI H model gunship. and during that time helped out with the U model test program with the guys out at Edwards AFB . The U model is not a H 2.5.

The Guys at Mansfield Ohio are the only ones with H2.5, The H2 that we have here at Youngstown have Digital Fuel Gages. We have 89's , 90's and 92's All of our birds have Low power color radar. No more Apn 59. The guys at Mansfield are the 179AW, Ohio Air Guard Their call signs are Herky Archie

Hey there The H 2.5 are all at Mansfield ANG Base In Ohio. They are H 2 's with some added glass Instruments in the Flight Deck. Archie 773 rd AS Youngstown , Ohio

I will always remember My fellow Flight Engineer Sal. We had allot of laughs and good times on the road and at home. I miss him already. I will see you later Sal my friend. Archie

Ok Guys , I have flown Herks with the Tach Gen on the SSC, We are flying one of our airplanes right now that has the Tech Gen mounted there its on # 2 Engine Acft Tail Number 92-3021. They put it there due to the pads on the gearbox are worn out . When you mount it there it has to be written up in the 781 A So you as an F.e Know where thereading is coming from. Archie

Hey Tiny , Sorry about that But I'm Ole School, I'm not a big fan of the new Air Force Inc. I'm sure you remember back in the Day You either learned it or you Found something else to do. Archie

Ok let me get this straight, The Aircrew is writting up the CC AC as low flow with only the APU supplying the Air. Heres my take on this , AS a Flight Engineer on H2 we have 89 Model herks here in Youngstown , and when it get hot outside You will have low flow from the C/C pack. besides when you run it with the APU its real easy to Exceed the EGT limit for the APU so its not recommended to run the C/C pack with the APU on the ground in the Heat. Does the pack cool down the Cargo compartment with the Engines running if so , Your crews do not have a problem, So tell them to have a coke and a Smoke and stop writting it up.

I'm Still laughin my Butt off over this one , I just had to send it along to all my Crew Chiefs we have here. This took allot of thought to put it all togather . It was an awesome job, My hats off to the guy that put it togather.

A Soldier Comes Home On July 5, The Post published a letter from Martha Gillis of Springfield, whose nephew, Lt. Brian Bradshaw, was killed in Afghanistan on June 25, the day that Michael Jackson died. The letter criticized the extensive media coverage of Jackson's death compared with the brief coverage of Lt. Bradshaw's death. Among the responses was the following letter, written July 9 by an Air National Guard pilot and a fellow member of the crew that flew Lt. Bradshaw's body from a forward base in Afghanistan to Bagram Air Base. Capt. James Adair, one of the plane's pilots, asked the editorial page staff to forward the letter to the Bradshaw family. He and Brian Bradshaw's parents then agreed to publication of these excerpts. Dear Bradshaw Family, We were crew members on the C-130 that flew in to pick up Lt. Brian Bradshaw after he was killed. We are Georgia Air National Guardsmen deployed to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. We support the front-line troops by flying them food, water, fuel, ammunition and just about anything they need to fight. On occasion we have the privilege to begin the final journey home for our fallen troops. Below are the details to the best of our memory about what happened after Brian's death. We landed using night-vision goggles. Because of the blackout conditions, it seemed as if it was the darkest part of the night. As we turned off the runway to position our plane, we saw what appeared to be hundreds of soldiers from Brian's company standing in formation in the darkness. Once we were parked, members of his unit asked us to shut down our engines. This is not normal operating procedure for that location. We are to keep the aircraft's power on in case of maintenance or concerns about the hostile environment. The plane has an extremely loud self-contained power unit. Again, we were asked whether there was any way to turn that off for the ceremony that was going to take place. We readily complied after one of our crew members was able to find a power cart nearby. Another aircraft that landed after us was asked to do the same. We were able to shut down and keep lighting in the back of the aircraft, which was the only light in the surrounding area. We configured the back of the plane to receive Brian and hurried off to stand in the formation as he was carried aboard. Brian's whole company had marched to the site with their colors flying prior to our arrival. His platoon lined both sides of our aircraft's ramp while the rest were standing behind them. As the ambulance approached, the formation was called to attention. As Brian passed the formation, members shouted "Present arms" and everyone saluted. The salute was held until he was placed inside the aircraft and then the senior commanders, the sergeant major and the chaplain spoke a few words. Afterward, we prepared to take off and head back to our base. His death was so sudden that there was no time to complete the paperwork needed to transfer him. We were only given his name, Lt. Brian Bradshaw. With that we accepted the transfer. Members of Brian's unit approached us and thanked us for coming to get him and helping with the ceremony. They explained what happened and how much his loss was felt. Everyone we talked to spoke well of him -- his character, his accomplishments and how well they liked him. Before closing up the back of the aircraft, one of Brian's men, with tears running down his face, said, "That's my platoon leader, please take care of him." We taxied back on the runway, and, as we began rolling for takeoff, I looked to my right. Brian's platoon had not moved from where they were standing in the darkness. As we rolled past, his men saluted him one more time; their way to honor him one last time as best they could. We will never forget this. We completed the short flight back to Bagram Air Base. After landing, we began to gather our things. As they carried Brian to the waiting vehicle, the people in the area, unaware of our mission, stopped what they were doing and snapped to attention. Those of us on the aircraft did the same. Four soldiers who had flown back with us lined the ramp once again and saluted as he passed by. We went back to post-flight duties only after he was driven out of sight. Later that day, there was another ceremony. It was Bagram's way to pay tribute. Senior leadership and other personnel from all branches lined the path that Brian was to take to be placed on the airplane flying him out of Afghanistan. A detail of soldiers, with their weapons, lined either side of the ramp just as his platoon did hours before. A band played as he was carried past the formation and onto the waiting aircraft. Again, men and women stood at attention and saluted as Brian passed by. Another service was performed after he was placed on the aircraft. For one brief moment, the war stopped to honor Lt. Brian Bradshaw. This is the case for all of the fallen in Afghanistan. It is our way of recognizing the sacrifice and loss of our brothers and sisters in arms. Though there may not have been any media coverage, Brian's death did not go unnoticed. You are not alone with your grief. We mourn Brian's loss and celebrate his life with you. Brian is a true hero, and he will not be forgotten by those who served with him. We hope knowing the events that happened after Brian's death can provide you some comfort. Sincerely, Capt. James Adair Master Sgt. Paul Riley GA ANG 774 EAS Deployed

I agree with Tiny on this one, They where pretty lacks on getting things done to their herks.