Excellent photos. Thanks.

Great shots of my favorite airplane. Used to be able to make that sucker walk the dog...

Those pylon tanks look cool and increase range substantially, but they slow the old whisperpig down by ten knots TAS.

Explain all that wire hanging off the tail in the first picture . Doesn't look like any HAM radio antenna .Maybe an American Indian ghost catcher ?

quote:

Originally posted by mete:
Explain all that wire hanging off the tail in the first picture . Doesn't look like any HAM radio antenna .Maybe an American Indian ghost catcher ?

Since you asked, this variant of the Herc is known as the EC-130H Compass Call and hails from Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson. To be specific, the Compass Call is an airborne tactical weapon system using a heavily modified version of the C-130 Hercules airframe. The system disrupts enemy command and control communications and limits adversary coordination. The Compass Call system employs the offensive counterinformation and electronic attack capabilities in support of U.S. and Coalition tactical air, surface, and special operations forces.

Either that or it is the most expensive bug zapper I've every seen :-)

I was talking to a crewmember on one of those several years ago. He said they could sniff the ayatollah's skid marks with that thing...

Got a couple of rides on Herkeys in my time. Good aircraft.

The pilot can select reverse thrust from the props at will. Never forget the first time I saw a Herkey back into a parking spot on the ramp at Yokota. Most aircraft don't HAVE a reverse gear.

Good to see they're sill being used.

I was Flight Engineer on B & E models for quite a few years. My unit was the first in the US to get the new Js. That put me out of buisness. No Nav or Engineer seat.

I never get tired of looking at C-130's Lockheed really gotten it right with that one. Its every thing an airplane should be and then some.

quote:

Originally posted by B Mullins:
Got a couple of rides on Herkeys in my time. Good aircraft.

The pilot can select reverse thrust from the props at will. Never forget the first time I saw a Herkey back into a parking spot on the ramp at Yokota. Most aircraft don't HAVE a reverse gear.

Good to see they're sill being used.

I parallel parked one in El Yopal, Colombia to get the right wing out over the fuel pit. Just another day at the office with Southern Air Transport. (It was either do that or fly two hours round trip up and back to Bogota to single point refuel and cost the customer over six grand.)