Last C-130s leave Oklahoma
By Sean Murphy - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Sep 21, 2007 6:16:12 EDT
OKLAHOMA CITY — The last three C-130 Hercules military cargo planes flew out of Will Rogers Air National Guard Base on Thursday en route to their new home in Pennsylvania.
The planes, which have conducted hundreds of missions since arriving at Will Rogers directly from the factory in 1979, now will become part of the Air Force Reserve Command’s 911 Airlift Wing in Pittsburgh.
The Oklahoma Air National Guard’s 137th Airlift Wing now will change its mission and begin flying KC-135 Stratotanker refueling planes. Their mission will become a joint operation with the Air Force Reserve’s 507th Refueling Wing at Tinker Air Force Base.
“I have mixed emotions about it,†said Capt. Tony Lackman, a C-130 pilot who has flown dozens of missions with the massive cargo planes. “One side of it is sad to see them go, but the other side is that I’m excited about the new mission and the KC-135.â€
Pilots and mechanics with the 137th Airlift Wing will train at Altus Air Force Base for their new mission with the KC-135, which are used to refuel other planes midflight.
Outfitted with a rear loading ramp and door, the C-130 can carry everything from a utility helicopter and six-wheeled armored vehicles to pallets of cargo or about 100 troops.
The C-130s have been used for hundreds of military and humanitarian missions, including relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina, dropping hay to starving cattle in New Mexico and the Oklahoma Panhandle and military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The planes also have been used in conjunction with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs to help spot and destroy outdoor marijuana operations.
“The most unique thing about it is its ability to take off and land on short, unimproved runways, like dirt fields,†Lackman said. “It has very short takeoff and landing capabilities, and it can handle a very rugged environment.â€