Old Fella

Just a question. Why would you want to fly with one aux tank full and the other empty. Are you asking about commencing a mission in this condition or continuing?

Those WERE the days! Too bad they are gone forever, like the days when Lockheed built REAL C130\'s with a Flight Engineer as part of the minimum operating crew. Muff Millen wrote:

The RAAF have been operating C130\'s since 1958 and this failure is only the second in the RAAF of which I am aware, so don\'t get too scared Zaherk. In both cases, the scissor link being positioned forward allowed the axle and wheels to trail in such a position to allow the nose to be lowered and the broken strut to settle into position with little secondary damage. At least the NLG can be viewed via the \"California\" window and an assessment of the damage made.

Great report Chris. The story is as near as is possible to the event, previously posted, in Madang back in 1972. Significant differences were it was daylight, dumping cargo into Madang Harbour and not having a problem with an oil cooler actuator the situation was very similar, even down to having been operating into a limiting airstrip, namely Mendi at 5500\' AMSL and about 4000\'. Well done to you and the rest of the crew. Cheers Tony R.

Thanks Col. I\'m not game to look too closely at earlier photo\'s, it just reaffirms that I \"ain\'t what I used to be\". Cheers Tony.

G\'day Col Have you any details of the mid-60\'s NLG failure? I had not heard of that one before, although I didn\'t get to 36 Sqn until 1968. Hope all is well in Snug. Cheers Tony.

1685FCC. From a now retired C130 F/E, as well as B707, L1011 and B747, I wish you all the best in your endeavour. Sadly, the career path in the civvy world is almost extinct with the major airlines. The \"bean counters\" convinced everyone, including the military, that F/E\'s were no longer required, something with which I totally disagree. If you intend staying with the military your prospects of having an extended career as a F/E are pretty good. It may be a little late to be looking toward a F/E career outside the military. Good luck from an Aussie Old Fella.

If the NLG strut fractured it is not the first time this has happened. In 1972, whilst based in Madang PNG engaged in flying famine relief supplies into Mendi, RAAF C130A (A97-213 I think) suffered a fracture at the base of the NLG strut. Luckily, the scissor link held the axle and wheel assy in place and, following a very well exectued landing where the nose was lowered very gently, the broken strut rested on the axle and virtually no secondary damage occurred. The pilot was DS, known among us as \"The Lockheed Legend\".