Maybe...been a while if I did...there is a hell of a lot of truth here...

Yep that is about right, Good Motivational Poster. Just right for every Army and Marine Barracks around. Kidding aside, 1954 one year before I was born. Another fine Airplane I will never get to fly.

Been to some of the world's most awful places in the Herc, and to some of the world's most fascinating, also. There is nothing quite like a Herc. Nothing that big will successfully tread where it has trod.

During Vietnam in 66 to 68, the old man was stationed at Pope AFB at Ft Bragg...

unusual for an AF wing, evidently there were 5 Squadrons attached to the 464th.. all C 130s..

they supported Ft Bragg and the 82nd, plus airborne training in 66 the 101st was still there before going to Ft Campbell..

there was also constant Guard flights in and out of Pope daily...it got so I could identify a plane just from the sound of its engines...

the units at Pope use to go TDY to Vietnam... they could be gone for 90 days TDY, however when they returned home, you couldn't even tell what their original camo patterns or colors were...

they were patched all over the place.. body panels replaced, wings and tails also...

in 90 days they had been shot to shit, patched up and returned stateside... re camo'ed and back in service...

it amazed me how tough those birds were...

Jet: The only other aircraft with more romance than the Herc is the C-47, if you ask me.

I was a crew chief on C-130A's and E's in Viet Nam and all over the area from 1967-1970 and they are the 4x4 of avaition! Would love to go for another ride on one before I leave this earth!!
You live on one for 3 years and you will never forget them!!! Some of the earliest ones from the 50's are still performing!!!!
for some interesting stuff and pics, go to:
HerkyBirds.com.
Ken

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Jet: The only other aircraft with more romance than the Herc is the C-47, if you ask me.

I flew both. Had a tremendous amount of fun in both. The DC-3 had the worst brakes of any airplane I ever flew.

quote:

Originally posted by jetdrvr:

quote:

Originally posted by Bill/Oregon:
Jet: The only other aircraft with more romance than the Herc is the C-47, if you ask me.

I flew both. Had a tremendous amount of fun in both. The DC-3 had the worst brakes of any airplane I ever flew.

Jet: I'm so envious. These two aircraft are such classics. The DC-3 has lovely lines.

A C47 and a few T6s fly over the house occasionally and I love the Recips sound.
Butch

Some like Mozart, but to me, there is nothing sweeter than the sounds of a big radial engine at takeoff power, or at cruise, growling overhead on a calm evening.

Jet: We've had Chinese crews training in DC-6 fire-retardant bombers over the local hills for the past week. I'm loving it!

Yeah. R-2800's. Must sound sweet...

had some time in the old c-47 and c-124 loved the 47 hated the 124

Yeah, the aluminum overcast. I used to watch 124's try to accelerate to V1 down at the old Allbrook Air Force Base in the Canal Zone on hot, calm days. They'd run them up at the end until the thing was almost jumping the brakes, with compression contrails spiraling off the props and take a run at it, get about halfway down the runway and abort, time after time. Scary airplane, and I even have a jump out of one at Ft. Bragg. Ugly old airplane.

I miss my Herc rides...been all over the world in them. Favorite place to go...Midway Island and Kwajilean. Hmmmm, we always seemed to break down at Hickam.