C-130A?

[hairy]

Further to my post a couple of days ago, and so you don't have to wait for the photos to download.........

Do any "Trojan Nose" C-130As still exist?

[setter]

Hi Hairy

Yep at least one and perhaps more - I saw one in a magazine going to a museum in the States recently - I will have a look and let you know.

Regards
John

[Jack Cook]

Never heard of that one. you might ask JCW has he got 6-7,000 hours in them. Mostly HC-130Ps ie 303rd ARS. They did have a funky nose and a radome on top.

[Brad]

Further to my post a couple of days ago, and so you don't have to wait for the photos to download.........

I promise, no more pictures of the mighty Herk....

[Randy Haskin]

Never heard of that one. you might ask JCW has he got 6-7,000 hours in them. Mostly HC-130Ps ie 303rd ARS. They did have a funky nose and a radome on top.

I think he's talking about the Roman Nose...the early A-model Herks before they added the radome to the front.

http://www.airliners.net/open.file/708771/L/

[Don Martin]

And Three-Bladed Props?!!

[JBoyle]

I don't know of any Roman nose Herks out there, but in 1975 on my first visit to AMARC at D-M I saw one land. I've always wondered if it was for the last time?

BTW: When C-130As have gone on static display in period markings, (at Dyess AFB, TX and Ft. Meade, Maryland) they usually switch the 4 bladed props retrofitted during their careers with correct threee-bladed units. I've always been amazed that someone in the USAF would have saved the old stuff for future displays.

[Paul Krumrei]

Are you looking for actual flying ones or just ones on display?

Here is one on display at this website.
http://www.dyess.af.mil/airpark/c-130a-l.htm


Paul Krumrei
www.warbird-central.com
www.bt-13.org

[Paul Krumrei]

more links I found Also, I think that the tanker that crashed a few years ago that killed everyone fighting fires, was a C-130A

http://www.afrc.af.mil/403wg/wing/Missi ... /c130a.htm
http://www.vaq34.com/lc130list/c-130a.htm
http://www.ascho.wpafb.af.mil/START/PG30-A.HTM
http://vnaf.net/serials/c130a/c130a.html
http://vnaf.net/photos/hercules/c130_photos.html
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/c-130.htm
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/112895.htm
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/412012/M
http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/museum ... 7-0457.htm
http://aeroweb.brooklyn.cuny.edu/museum ... 7-0478.htm




Last C-130A makes final flight


AFMC News Service Release 1025
Released October 10, 2003

By 1st Lt. Jessica Phelps
Air Armament Center Public Affairs

EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFMCNS) — The oldest flying C-130 cargo aircraft and last existing C-130A in the U.S. Air Force flew its final flight Oct. 3, ending nearly half a century of test service.

The final flight ended at Field 2 here. The aircraft will now be stripped of its essential equipment and used to test installation security systems on the Eglin range.

The C-130A, affectionately nicknamed “The Lone Wolf,” has been stationed at Duke Field for the past 48 years, serving the test community as part of the 46th Test Wing. The wing provides a national capability for testing conventional munitions, command and control infrastructure, egress as well as navigation and guidance systems.

Maintainers no longer being able to sustain its current systems, including spare parts and engine support drove the aircraft’s retirement, according to Senior Master Sgt. Michael Holderness, 46th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron C-130 section chief.

“The NC-130A Airborne Seeker Evaluation and Test System is an airborne platform for developmental test and evaluation of air-to-ground and air-to-air seekers and sensors,” Holderness said. “It was capable of tracking and filming weapon intercept and separation from various fighter and bomber aircraft.”

Nicknamed “The Lone Wolf” because it was the last C-130A flying, the aircraft flew its first test flight in 1955 and has been a part of many forward moving programs such as the Patriot missile sensor testing during the 1980’s and 90’s.

“Retiring this aircraft marks the end of an era for the C-130 test program,” said Tech. Sgt. Kevin Williams, 46th AMXS hydraulics technician. “But it’s also the beginning of a new chapter, as some of the modified structures will be transferred to the newer NC-130H aircraft.”

A very small group of maintainers, 13 to be exact, maintain this particular aircraft, and “The Lone Wolf” characterization emanates from the aircraft to them, Holderness said.

“After 48 years, this aircraft took a lot of blood, sweat and tears to maintain,” he said. “It inevitably becomes a part of you, as much as you become a part of it.”

With the C-130A being decommissioned, a new, more fleet representative NC-130H aircraft will be brought to Duke to continue the unit’s test mission, Holderness said.

“Once the current programmed depot maintenance is complete, that aircraft is scheduled to undergo modifications to install the turret and modified floor structure, along with other modifications to enable not only a wider array of weapon seeker testing, but also C-130 test programs currently in development,” he said.

A couple of days before the final flight, the crew posed for a picture in front of the aircraft, capturing the historic moment. As part of commemorating the time the aircraft and crew spent serving together, the names of the maintenance crew were printed on the outside of the aircraft.

The members of the operation crew also signed their names on the inside of the aircraft.

[krlang]

Hey,
Does Quonset still have their "HULK"
If I remember right they had a short nose training fuselage down there.
It is pretty goofy looking with the short nosecone!
The one at Hanscom was removed from service years ago and towed off to the back of the airport. I had heard that someone lost a limb or was killed by the falling rear door and they were all removed from service.

[Roger Cain]

The C-130 firefighting tankers were "A" models, although all the ones I photographed had the four-bladed props

[NavyChief]

I just wanted to say that from 2001 through 2003 I flew the last NAVY DC-130A(57-0497) stationed with VX-30 in Point Mugu, CA.

We used it regulary for both drone launch missions and for logistics flights out to San Nicholas Island off of California, utilizing BQM-34 and BQM-74 drones.

Our DC-130A was "called to duty" to support the second Gulf War. We installed a "Benson Tank", loaded up with gear and a volunteer group of maintainers, and flew from Point Mugu to Ali Al Salem airbase, where we conducted night combat operations to open the airwar over Iraq. The aircraft performed flawlessly, taking off "on-time" for each sortie, and the crew successfully achieved all mission requirements.

Combat operations in 2003 aboard an aircraft built in 1957...not too bad!

Ironically, VX30 didn't have time to repaint "497" and so it arrived in theatre and flew all of it's missions in the USN Test Squadron Red/Yellow/Grey/White scheme!!

To my knowledge "497" was retired in 2007, which would make 50 years of service to it's country. It was never stricken from service nor was it ever transferred to civilian or foreign registry. Although it spent time "in preservation", it was on the books for the USAF/USN for that entire time.

[APG85]

As far as the original question regarding the existence of any "flat nose" C-130A's. None are on display in that configuration. A few languish in the scrapyards around Tucson the last time I was out there...and they were in pretty bad shape...

[airnutz]

I've been looking for a complete Roman Nose survivor for some time now and there doesn't seem to be any...plenty of P-82's in the AF inventory tho!!
There is a somewhat whole Roman Nose -130A..sans props and turbines, acting as an Aero Med trainer at Shepherd AFB...
http://www.c-130hercules.net/gallery/fi ... 5/3003.jpg

NavyChief's bird, -130 A, 57-0497 with a Trojan(ie- condom) nose ....
http://www.vpnavy.org/misc_04/vx30c130_01_08may2002.jpg

[JohnB]

As I mentioned in that old post, the only time I saw a "Roman nose" C-130 was during my first trip to D-M in 1976. One taxied up to the ramp...probably on its final flight.