C-130's

[eng1170]

Just a quickie - how many old Herc's are still about (not 130j's) I was surprised to see one of these at GLA/EGPF over the past weekend (Fri 6th - Sun 8th) and saw it leave on Sunday, a great looking truck!! I thought that the majority of the older models had been stood down and replaced by the J's.

;)

[StopStart]

No there's still plenty of the old K models still cruising about. In fact if you believe all the mumblings from the south side, all the J models are all going to be melted down into pots, pans and fence railings to help the war effort whilst the Ks are all going to be extended to the 2525 - if man is still alive....

But seriously.... ;)

Some of the K models are currently being modded and "upgraded" into Mk 3A models. This apparently involves adding all sorts of secret bits and bobs to the 34 year old airframe.
This is similar to the actions of those 17 yr old yoofs often featured in the magazine "Max Power" - you take a £100 1.1 Nova GL rustbucket and stick an incar DVD player in it, a £700 Bose hifi in it, a £1000 Irmscher body kit on it and some £2000 Advan 20" alloys on it. It might look a bit "better" (to some eyes) but doesn't go any better and is still a 1.1 GL Nova rustbucket underneath.
;)

No, but seriously.... :D

A lot of the stuff in the Mk 3A upgrade is top secret, the only thing I can reveal is that barrels, such as the one depicted below, have been spotted both at Marshalls and Lyneham.
I'll say no more............

http://www.stopstart.freeserve.co.uk/Untitled-1.gif


cat, pigeons.....GO!

:ok:

[The Gorilla]

You crack me up matey, thanks for makin me evenin!!

Personally I always look back at the Herc as more of a Ford Capri!!

A married mans sports car that looks good from the outside, but is quite cra**y and useless once you are actually in it!!

:D :O :D :)

[BEagle]

Or perhaps a Vauxhall Calibra, eh Stoppers???

[EESDL]

Beags
You wouldn't find Stoppers driving any of that Brit-built rubbish;-)

[jonnoboy]

if i'm right, i think that there are 26 C130K's and 25 C130J's. The K's will be around for some time to come and will still be seen midway into this century. the J's were supposed to take over, but unfortunately they are unable to land on unprepared surfaces (great for tactical landings!) and paratroopers jumping out of the side doors can't, beacuse if they do, they meet at a rather high speed underneath due to the propwash. Long live the K. (and we're certainly trying to achieve that here at Marshall!)

[StopStart]

Yada yada yada.

The J has limited strip clearances at present thanks to our friends at Kwinty Kwoo down the road. I don't honestly know about side door despatch of meat bombs. They are doing the Falcs but they're off the ramp. They're also doing PTS - I assume that must be off the ramp too if all these horrible rumours are true..... :rolleyes:

I would hazard to guess that if the K had been put through the same tests, trials and trivia when it came into service then it too would have had it's clearances delayed but hey ho.


:}

[Descend to What Height?!?]

And not forgetting the only Mk 2 around, last seen sitting rusting away at EGDM. :( :( :( :{ :{

[Arty]

jonnoboy

And which toilets exactly do you clean at 'Marshall'? The K around till halfway thru the century? The J won't be able to land on natural strips? Don't make me laugh!! Utter bo11ocks.

[highveldtdrifter]

JONNOBOY,

Get with the programme, the J can actually drop 2 more troops from the para doors than the K owing to marshalls putting some avionics where the seats used to be. do not believe all the guff from the luddites. By the way, have a word with your paint shop, for some reason we got marshalls to paint the Js and its already falling off. And yes of course it can land on strips, otherwise I am really in the sh1t.

[cockanelli]

It is true that the J can drop Para's from the side doors but there are restrictions. Due to the weaker static line, the troops themselves cannot weigh more than 200 lbs and because of the side guidance rails that cant be removes without taking the seats up, which the para's sit on, they can't be higher than 6'3".

I know that they can do natural surface strips cos they were at Deptford Down about a week ago.

As for the 3A, they are to augment the mini fleet. The flight won't take a decrease in capability which they would have to do if they took the J. Therefore they upgraded more of the K's to a woppingly astonishing spec which for a wee while will actually be more capable than the Mk 1's.

Me thinks Stopstart is a tiny bit bitter that all the money that was pushing North side last year is now well and truly on the South side. The rosy future of the J doesn't look quite so rosy any more.

More rumours please!!

[SALAD DODGER]

This trully has turned into a pissing contest that no one is going to win. Look in the working end of your jets (the cargo bay) and you will see that it is almost identical and of the same generation. When it comes down to it and as far as the rest of the armed forces are concerned the J and K are the same truck and haul the same s*!t.

Shouldnt you present a little more of a united front when the penny pinchers are looking to pull your secret Wilshire airbase from right under you.

The J seems to be earning its keep now. It looks like there IS going to be an A400M, we ARE going to buy our C17's and more, and the upgraded K Hercs both the Alpha and the new SF frames are going to extend the K' usefullness for many years to come. There is going to be change and I dont know who the loosers are going to be, but there will be tears before bed time...

[Chris Kebab]

Totally agree Salad.

I don't think I have ever seen the arrival of an aircraft cause so much bile between guys on the same unit. What is it with you blokes that all you can do is slag off each others aircraft and why do you all seem to hate anyone in a different crew seat? No other fleet whines on like you guys.

I'm just glad I didn't get chopped onto multi's reading all these C-130 threads.

[Arty]

Yeah you are right Chris - it is sad. I've not met any pilots who wouldn't give their eye teeth to fly the J because it's bloody brilliant, but I've heard from many a navigator who rubbish the aircraft - maybe it's because they don't have a seat on it and their futures are extremely limited. Does that explain why they are bitter, twisted, jealous and spread ill-founded sh1te??

[BEagle]

Judging by how keen the J mates are on the 130J, they will be like multi-willied dogs when they get the A400M! The flight deck design is exceptionally good and will be very cuting-edge with A380-generation displays. Not just a digitally-remastered Herc, it is going to be quite some aeroplane! :ok:

And there's even a proper auxiliary crew station on the flight deck for certain mission applications - so those ex-K folk who miss the smell of wee from the back right corner could get all nostalgic with a canal-builder in the aux crew seat.......... ;)

[Chris Kebab]

Dunno Arty it seems to go deeper than just pilots and navs. The last guy I heard giving the J a going over was a senior officer pilot (albeit currently flying a desk).

It just seems to be the place - wierd mate.

Most Herc threads on here of the last couple of years always degenerate into a K vs J bunfight and a "my seat is better than yours". Interestingly the only guys who seem to keep out of it are the Engs - having no experience of flying with such chaps I am not the one to draw any conlusions from this!

Think on balance I would still rather fly with a good nav than a co, not that I am greedy of course!

[average pilot]

It's all very sad, if you ask me. Having been at the wiltshire airbase on and off for the last 16 years and flown both the K and the J I do wish the "slagging " would stop. There's nothing wrong with jovial banter but most of the time it all gets far too vitriolic. Although I must admit STOP START does make I smile:D