Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules
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To quote a verse from a song wot I wrote at the time: (to the tune of Greensleeves)
Three orange lights, pumps OFF at the rush
Christ we're stuck four days with an hydraulic flush
But we carry four boxes and two rubber wheels
A green towing arm . . . and all the wrong seals
Does that scenario ring any bells?
Yes the Vickers pumps had the thermo run-round (designed to prevent pump damage when isolated), but wasn't all it was cracked up to be (pun intended).
Happy days . . .
Three orange lights, pumps OFF at the rush
Christ we're stuck four days with an hydraulic flush
But we carry four boxes and two rubber wheels
A green towing arm . . . and all the wrong seals
Does that scenario ring any bells?
Yes the Vickers pumps had the thermo run-round (designed to prevent pump damage when isolated), but wasn't all it was cracked up to be (pun intended).
Happy days . . .
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Brian,
You obviously had too much time on your hands owing to hydraulic flushes, but a useful little ditty.
AA62,
The reasoning behind the method of lowering the door was that if you powered it UP then you pressurised the lines that would become the DOWN lines on release of the lock. That way you didn't get the rapid and dangerous decent of what could be a very heavy article dependant on how much sh*t was in the door stowage bins.
You obviously had too much time on your hands owing to hydraulic flushes, but a useful little ditty.
AA62,
The reasoning behind the method of lowering the door was that if you powered it UP then you pressurised the lines that would become the DOWN lines on release of the lock. That way you didn't get the rapid and dangerous decent of what could be a very heavy article dependant on how much sh*t was in the door stowage bins.
Brian,
Well remember the bags of OM15 full of what looked like glitter (pump remnants) when doing an hydraulic flush. Never managed to be so affected down route though. Most of the stoppers I got were related to propellers.
AC,
I'm sure that stowing his "down route" wallet in the cargo door, would not have been the cause of AA62 and his lowering problems, but had M**k L***y been his GE, and stowed his bling in the door
All bets are off. Interesting piece about the pumps, thanks for posting it. Now, why is National Waterlift sitting in my mind whilst discussing hydraulics.
Smudge
Well remember the bags of OM15 full of what looked like glitter (pump remnants) when doing an hydraulic flush. Never managed to be so affected down route though. Most of the stoppers I got were related to propellers.
AC,
I'm sure that stowing his "down route" wallet in the cargo door, would not have been the cause of AA62 and his lowering problems, but had M**k L***y been his GE, and stowed his bling in the door
All bets are off. Interesting piece about the pumps, thanks for posting it. Now, why is National Waterlift sitting in my mind whilst discussing hydraulics.Smudge
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Smudge,
You told me once in the RAFA club in Swindon that you were retiring to the Lake District. Can I assume that this did not last/never happened? As far as a certain brand of corned beef is concerned, I suspect the bling to be as fake as that tan he had which gave him an orange hue in the mess (before I went across the playing field). I reckon that much lead would indeed weigh the door to jack stall.
TTB
You told me once in the RAFA club in Swindon that you were retiring to the Lake District. Can I assume that this did not last/never happened? As far as a certain brand of corned beef is concerned, I suspect the bling to be as fake as that tan he had which gave him an orange hue in the mess (before I went across the playing field). I reckon that much lead would indeed weigh the door to jack stall.
TTB
Ahh, AC,
What a memory you have. We spent four years living "up north" in Cumbria, but failed to resist the call of Albert, and where all the people I know lived. Now residing on the approach to 25 ? On the western extremities of Pig atop the hill. I agree with you on the trim shift when our man returned to his hammock, I remember at least two Captains who remarked on the need for a trim adjustment
Smudge
What a memory you have. We spent four years living "up north" in Cumbria, but failed to resist the call of Albert, and where all the people I know lived. Now residing on the approach to 25 ? On the western extremities of Pig atop the hill. I agree with you on the trim shift when our man returned to his hammock, I remember at least two Captains who remarked on the need for a trim adjustment
Smudge
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Well remember the bags of OM15 full of what looked like glitter (pump remnants) when doing an hydraulic flush. Never managed to be so affected down route though. Most of the stoppers I got were related to propellers.
Rear GITZ was a real pain if you ended up having to pull the prop to replace it. For the GE, if you had a bit of help (as in Richmond RAAF Base) you could get the job done in a day as the crew enjoyed an unscheduled day off. Valve housing and "walking the dog" might bring back some memories for those who have been there.
Smudge
Smudge
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Valve housing changes really were one of the few jobs that worked out better when left to the premier trade , the background of the said GE normally dictated how quickly the job went.... Faeries & DF's normally took an active interest , but ran away at the first sniff of OM15, the riggers were usually eager to help but the dragging knuckles could interfere somewhat!
I was fairly fortunate as an SVC , many times I had no faults at all, although 7 days U/S in Rio due to dual VSI failure could be seen as the best of bad luck?
, the background of the said GE normally dictated how quickly the job went.... Faeries & DF's normally took an active interest , but ran away at the first sniff of OM15, the riggers were usually eager to help but the dragging knuckles could interfere somewhat! I was fairly fortunate as an SVC , many times I had no faults at all, although 7 days U/S in Rio due to dual VSI failure could be seen as the best of bad luck?
AC,
understand about powering the line when lowering the cargo door, but I think later marks of the C130 had a mod to allow power closing of the door.
Often after an airdrop the door would not lock down on one side. this was usually the RH side as you look aft. The loadmaster then had to walk up and stamp on the door thus effecting closure.
And yes we tried all manner of things in respect of removing kit from the door before airdrop sorties. It just seemed an odd design feature all round.
understand about powering the line when lowering the cargo door, but I think later marks of the C130 had a mod to allow power closing of the door.
Often after an airdrop the door would not lock down on one side. this was usually the RH side as you look aft. The loadmaster then had to walk up and stamp on the door thus effecting closure.
And yes we tried all manner of things in respect of removing kit from the door before airdrop sorties. It just seemed an odd design feature all round.
AA62, and anyone interested.
I had lunch today, and a wee beer or two, with another ex GE, who has a vast fund of knowledge, like myself, was a rigger by basic trade, and had a lot to offer on the rigging and operation of the Cargo door and the inherent problems of locking up and down. T****r T******n, as I did, worked on A Line prior to becoming A GE, and well remembers the times that the door was snagged for either of the above problems, in his opinion, after lengthy investigation, it came down to air in the hydraulic system. He told me today of the fact that Lockheeds service news highlighted the problem of the door, as noted by AA62, in one of its issues. When they compared the suggested procedure with that of the Aircraft Technical publications, it seemed that the official tech pubs left a lot to be desired. For instance, a team under the supervision of a Cpl Rigger spent almost a whole night shift bleeding the system for the door, with no improvement. When they checked the door using the Lockheed tech publication, it was found that they had effectively only bled one side of the system, the air was in the other. Of course, officially, only the authorised Air Publication is the source of servicing activity.
And so we go to the Vickers Hydraulic pump, which was a "non self idling" pump. This meant that when coupled to an Engine that ran at 100% it ran at maximum output at all times. During periods of say, standard cruise flight, the pump was still giving maximum output, with nowhere for it to go, so it got hot. The answer was a relief valve that allowed the oil to be circulated through piping in the dry bays, which allowed some cooling and helped offload the pumps. Both the New York and Abex pumps were self idling, when no demand was made of them, they reduced output and therefore cut down on both workload and heat, no need for run around (cooling) circuits. I'm reliably informed by my drinking companion that from the late 80s only Abex pumps were fitted on the K and that the incidence of Hydraulic flushes was significantly reduced. I have to say, it's been a fascinating sequence of posts of great interest to myself. As a quick follow up, a nice Lockheed Technical News issue that gives a decent description of the E model technicalities, most appropriate to the K;
http://www.c-130hercules.net/LSN/No34.pdf
Smudge
I had lunch today, and a wee beer or two, with another ex GE, who has a vast fund of knowledge, like myself, was a rigger by basic trade, and had a lot to offer on the rigging and operation of the Cargo door and the inherent problems of locking up and down. T****r T******n, as I did, worked on A Line prior to becoming A GE, and well remembers the times that the door was snagged for either of the above problems, in his opinion, after lengthy investigation, it came down to air in the hydraulic system. He told me today of the fact that Lockheeds service news highlighted the problem of the door, as noted by AA62, in one of its issues. When they compared the suggested procedure with that of the Aircraft Technical publications, it seemed that the official tech pubs left a lot to be desired. For instance, a team under the supervision of a Cpl Rigger spent almost a whole night shift bleeding the system for the door, with no improvement. When they checked the door using the Lockheed tech publication, it was found that they had effectively only bled one side of the system, the air was in the other. Of course, officially, only the authorised Air Publication is the source of servicing activity.
And so we go to the Vickers Hydraulic pump, which was a "non self idling" pump. This meant that when coupled to an Engine that ran at 100% it ran at maximum output at all times. During periods of say, standard cruise flight, the pump was still giving maximum output, with nowhere for it to go, so it got hot. The answer was a relief valve that allowed the oil to be circulated through piping in the dry bays, which allowed some cooling and helped offload the pumps. Both the New York and Abex pumps were self idling, when no demand was made of them, they reduced output and therefore cut down on both workload and heat, no need for run around (cooling) circuits. I'm reliably informed by my drinking companion that from the late 80s only Abex pumps were fitted on the K and that the incidence of Hydraulic flushes was significantly reduced. I have to say, it's been a fascinating sequence of posts of great interest to myself. As a quick follow up, a nice Lockheed Technical News issue that gives a decent description of the E model technicalities, most appropriate to the K;
http://www.c-130hercules.net/LSN/No34.pdf
Smudge
Last edited by smujsmith; 3rd Jan 2015 at 19:36.
smudge,
the tech pubs left a great deal to be desired especially in the early days.
The ramp locks saga being but one that would have benefited from accurate information.
the tech pubs left a great deal to be desired especially in the early days.
The ramp locks saga being but one that would have benefited from accurate information.
I think the major problems with the tech pubs was the fact that, for reasons known only to someone in procurement, we did NOT get/use the Lockheed Dash 1 (-1) documents .. but everything was transcribed/reissued/republished/screwed up* (* delete as applicable) to UK documents. It became apparent to me very early when doing "foreign" training (Belgians/Israelis/various Middle East crews etc) that the -1 had far more, and often more accurate/relevant information, than the UK versions did. Many an FE carried photocopied excerpts from the -1 to assist the grey matter when solving problems !- I know my limited grey cells needed all the help they could get !!
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Occassionally there were trips at places other then Assab and Mekelle. I think these were at Axum or Alamata. There was always an Ethiopian government minder on the aircraft. He was invited to the flight deck which meant I could take these photos. While the RAF and other aircraft were flying grain about, the Ethiopian Air Force was being used to relocate the local population.
Great pics and video from November4 and TEEEJ.
Now for something completely different !
Made by my wife when she was in her cake making mode. Yes smudge I know the props are not lined up but you tell her !
Now for something completely different !
Made by my wife when she was in her cake making mode. Yes smudge I know the props are not lined up but you tell her !
