C-130 Hercules Headquarters passes the reigns to Herky Birds.com

This has sort of been an inevitable thing. Scott Gager has not really updated C-130HQ in quite some time.
Besides thinking that the new name is dorky, Herky Birds.com
will be a winner with lots of support. The picture database is already outstanding and it is only going to get better. I hope that there is more contribution in the new site and I am eager to see her grow.


Good job guys (gals)


C-130 Hercules Headquarters

HerkyBirds.com

-=WINGS=- C-130 Hercules... Watch this if you love the Herk

If you love the Herk, you have to see this!
I remember seeing this footage (I think it was way before the Wings channel was even on Cable)a while ago. It seams like every school related to the C-130 in the USAF plays this at least once while you attend :) I look back and am so proud of the plane...and proud that it was the only on I was truly assigned to while I was in the service.

NC-130B: The six engined Herk

In the early 60s the USAF wanted a STOL version of the C-130 Hercules to be used as a prototype for the planned C-130C STOL (Short Take Off/Land). The test aircraft NC-130B 58-0712 (L/N 3507) was fitted with two extra prototype straight jet versions of the T-56 that the C-130 was already using, Minus the reduction gearbox and the prop and was called YT-56-A-6 (and I have also seen it as YJ-56-A-6).



These jet turbines were used not for pure thrust to get off the ground with more power but to be used to provide bleed air for a boundary-layer control system. This Boundary-layer control system was comprised of air ducts throughout the wings and empennage to provide bleed air over the tops of the control surfaces to provide more lift and in theory allow the aircraft to have a slower approach speed, shorter landing distance and shorter take off distance. This was supposed to be 50-70 KTS compared to the standard 80-100 KTS. The aircraft also had different flaps fitted and the ailerons would droop when the flaps would be set past 40 degrees. The requirements were, take off from a 500 foot unprepared strip with a 20,000 payload. This was flown against a standard C-130 with a standard crew and the standard C-130 actually took off and landed in a shorter distance. This might have been because of the added weight of the extra engines and bleed air ducting.

The C-130C was canceled after just 23 hours of flight test and the NC-130B was given to NASA JSC in 1961 and given the serial number N929NA and was flown to do further tests on the boundary layer control system between June 1961 and December 1961 and then again between February 1963 and November 1967.


After the tests were complete, the aircraft was then transferred to NASA DFRC Dryden and the YT (YJ)-56s were removed and the flaps were returned to the normal C-130 Lockheed-Fowler type configuration. The registration number was changed again to N707NA and was fitted with a much larger radome and used by NASA in the NASA Earth Survey 2 program

covering lower levels while satellites covered from higher altitudes. She ended her flying days with AMES Research Center at Moffett field.




She was then given the AMARC or the "boneyard" on 4 November 2000 and as of 2001 she was still stored.

C-130 eye candy

A needed update to an old friend

Lets face it, the C-130J is a failure. Sure, it is a great plane if you just want to bring cargo from Point A to Point B but it sucks in the dirt, She sucks for Maintenance, she sucks at airdrop. when she does fly into combat she has to bring two MORE pilots as outward looking observers(they have kicked off the Eng. and the Nav. on the J-Model)
Basically, the C-130J is an entirelly differient aircraft with an entirelly differient mission then the old true C-130s (C-130a/b/e/h/h1/h2/h3 types)

There is hope out there though, The C-130AMP has flown (the first aircraft's first flight was back in Sept. 2006) and the second example flew yesterday, this time being Louisville's own 91-2139 and I believe both examples of modded aircraft were originally H2 aircraft.

Why is this important? Because you now have a more modern flight deck to make the pilots happy. It is nice because you need to tape every light source when going on NVGs ...no more mini chem lights the Eng has to spend hours taping up and around instruments just to see the bloody things on Nogs.

So, it looks like if congress gets off their asses and approves this, we will see the much needed wingbox replacement for all C-130s (I will tackle that topic later) as well as a mid-life update. with all the capabilities of the older herks but, without all the stupid crap that the J model tries to bring to the table.



Let the C-130J try to replace the C-141 (she will fail at that too) and let the real herks fly into combat.