Very low flying C-130

[M.P.]

Anyone here who know the name of the C-130 pilot flying for this 1984 Advertisement? See the video:
http://jalopnik.com/400139/the-1984-peu ... of-trouble

[Bill Walker]

I liked the cameo by the F-20.

[hercrat]

I think that I can answer your question about the crew. This is NWT Air's Hercules C-GHPW with Captain Bob Foote, F/O Scott Cameron, F/E Jim Stewart and behind them a very nervous Norm Geiger as loadmaster. The location is in the Sprout Lake area of B.C., just west of Calgary. This is a car commercial for Peugot (?) and though it looks it, Bob never did actually hit the car. HOWEVER.......on one take the director kept shouting "Lower! Lower" and they did scrape the camera stand.
The aircraft was painted with flat black water based paint with 'Royal Ziebbe Airlines' and crossed swords on it's side. We filmed it over the period of a week as it had to be done during the daylight and I was on the cross-shift flying cargo across Canada at night, Vancouver to Toronto and return. I understand the commercial won several awards.

[b29flteng]

Well, I would normally say it ain't low unless it has grass stains on the prop tips, but I'll let it go this time... Geez!

[The Inspector]

Thats better than the USAF types who smacked the ground @ Ft. Rucker several years ago during a LAPES demo for a bunch of Generals

[M.P.]

@ hercrat, very nice story, many thanks for all your detailed information. That must have been an exciting film week.

I found some nice pictures of C-GHPW:
http://www.henrytenby.com/AIRTOAIR/nwtL100.html

[Ken]

Thats better than the USAF types who smacked the ground @ Ft. Rucker several years ago during a LAPES demo for a bunch of Generals

Are you referring to the accident at Sicily LZ at Ft Bragg? And was that comment really necessary?

[The Inspector]

When you srike the ground with an airplane because you're showing off or hot dogging, yes it is necessary because those guys were extremly fortunate to escape with their lives because of the P.I.C. being very foolish or thinking he was John Wayne-

[APG85]

I believe only the Flight Engineer survived that one...

[Ken]

I know the copilot survived as well - he was an IP at Little Rock in the 90's, scars and all. Crew certainly died, including some CCT in a jeep downtrack.

Everyone is entitled to their opinions. The Inspector may have 20,000 hours of flight time, including 5,000 in the Herk - even if he doesn't, he can still think as he wishes. Although I could have said nothing, I'll share mine.

My opinion is that military aviation is a wondeful thing in that young people are given a tremendous amount of freedom, responsibility, and technology to go out and undertake the missions of our nation. Dovetailed in that is the reality that maturity, capability, judgement, and experience are skills that can't be taught as much as they are gained over time.

As with any mishap, there was an error chain. I have not read the report in years, nor would I be in position to share the details regardless. What I can say is that the pilot was pushing the tactical envelope for that particular firepower demo and that previous practices were flown with lightweight training loads. (The Sheridan tank extracted during the mishap probably averaged 40,000#.) There's more to it, but the video clearly shows an inability to arrest sink rate in what should have been a level-off close to the ground for the extraction.

The school of hard knocks often leaves a mark. When you fly a large, unarmed airplane and are asked to fly challenging missions in high-threat areas, you push the limits. Agreed, there was no threat at Ft Bragg that day, but "train like you fight, fight like you train" is the mantra. Sadly, we lost and scarred some folks that day. If there's anything good to say - it's that generations of crews have seen and learned from this painful mishap.

No one gets up in the morning and says, "I think I'll go cause a mishap today." He believed he was doing the right thing, no matter how wrong it may have been, both in agressiveness and technique.

So, think what you like, but unless you've walked a mile in those shoes, don't be surprised if a one-line remark draws further comment.

Respectfully,
Ken

[The Inspector]

In four and one half decades in this business, I've lost a great number of friends in accidents, I watched a close friend get blown up in the bombing of the SABERLINER he flew because someone had a H^rdon against his boss-that friend was lucky and survived when no one else on board did. I have lost friends who have been found, sometimes months later. Friends who've comr back mixed in the wreckage, or burned up like a marshmallow in a horrible post crash fire. I have friends I pray will be found before I die so I can at least have some closure to their lives including one who's on a karst ridge in Viet Nam. So spare me the cheap 'tut-tut-ing' and tongue clucks OK?
I fully understand and accept death as a part of being involved in this business, and when ever I can convince someone by word or action to reconsider or take a less hazardous path, I will do that. When people do 'here hold my beer' things and it results in deaths, that IS a stupid and pointless loss.
Let us now let this part lay and return to the threads original context-

[JDK]

Let us now let this part lay and return to the threads original context-

Mod comment: Some good points folks, but let's not let it get tricky from here. Thank you.

Good advert, neat background story.

[Ken]

don't be surprised if a one-line remark draws further comment

[The Inspector]

M.P,
Those are some pretty neat photos and shooting in freezing weather is never fun as you hope you don't ruin the pictures with all your shaking and shivering.
How long did/has it taken to get the 'water color' paint off the airframe? Or are you letting Mama Nature take care of that?

Again, neat pix. end of my contributions to this thread.

[FAFG_Xav]

Peugeot Rule !!!!!