Global Aviation Magazine : 60 Years of the Hercules
1.3vStall,
you are correct !
you are correct !
XC-99
The fuselage was separated into four sections - the upper/lower lobes of the forward and aft halves. Still sizable chunks, nonetheless! The size and condition (including considerable corrosion) present a tough restoration challenge.
Most of the airframe is still outdoors, as seen here. Other views available here.
It's readily apparent that, while enormous, the expanded-from-a-bomber design lacks the "airlifter" features that make the Herc so flexible and capable.
Most of the airframe is still outdoors, as seen here. Other views available here.
It's readily apparent that, while enormous, the expanded-from-a-bomber design lacks the "airlifter" features that make the Herc so flexible and capable.
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AA62 - I know of several who made the crossover successfully, one of my former colleagues did the reverse journey of AH and ended up as a QWI on the Harrier.
Thought this may be of interest as it ties a few of the recent discussion points together. AH was the captain of the a/c in the picture and I followed him in shortly after. We tried to get in at low level and failed due to the extremely poor visibility in the smoke from the now raging oil fires. We got uncomfortably close to several power pylons that ringed the airport at Kuwait. We then set up an internal aids approach and got a superb talk down from the Nav using the embryonic SCNS. I don't believe it had been approved at this stage for this, certainly not down to the silly decision height we used. The kit was very accurate, and the well flown monitored approach by the Co and Nav plonked me on very short finals for the landing. My memory of the rest of the day is a bit hazy-I think we gave some fuel to AH who had given all of his to the Apaches who were still mopping up pockets of resistance locally. I may be confusing this with another trip - I wish I had made more detailed notes of what happened on which trip. If I'm honest, we were all pretty fatigued by this point. We'd had a run of back to back day and night trips spending long hours on NVGs grabbing kip on the a/c or in the tents at Al-Jouf. Hopefully some of the chaps out there will have a better memory of the period . I just wished we'd had a better call sign than 'Monti' !
Thought this may be of interest as it ties a few of the recent discussion points together. AH was the captain of the a/c in the picture and I followed him in shortly after. We tried to get in at low level and failed due to the extremely poor visibility in the smoke from the now raging oil fires. We got uncomfortably close to several power pylons that ringed the airport at Kuwait. We then set up an internal aids approach and got a superb talk down from the Nav using the embryonic SCNS. I don't believe it had been approved at this stage for this, certainly not down to the silly decision height we used. The kit was very accurate, and the well flown monitored approach by the Co and Nav plonked me on very short finals for the landing. My memory of the rest of the day is a bit hazy-I think we gave some fuel to AH who had given all of his to the Apaches who were still mopping up pockets of resistance locally. I may be confusing this with another trip - I wish I had made more detailed notes of what happened on which trip. If I'm honest, we were all pretty fatigued by this point. We'd had a run of back to back day and night trips spending long hours on NVGs grabbing kip on the a/c or in the tents at Al-Jouf. Hopefully some of the chaps out there will have a better memory of the period . I just wished we'd had a better call sign than 'Monti' !
Vzlet,
thanks for the picture link. Not quite how I remembered it ! It is going to need someone who is good with Airfix models to put that back together.
thanks for the picture link. Not quite how I remembered it ! It is going to need someone who is good with Airfix models to put that back together.
I remember flying the artist to a desert strip of bulldozed sand so that he could sketch the one of take-offs for another of his excellent GW1 series.
Some of the background items in chickenlover's print can be seen here.
(A younger version of 'sycamore' can be seen sauntering on the right of the second picture)
Some of the background items in chickenlover's print can be seen here.
(A younger version of 'sycamore' can be seen sauntering on the right of the second picture)
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Chickenlover, Mal Drop ...
Fascinating story there Gents along with some great pics
I reckon all of you guys have quite a few more stories from GW1 to tell ... Her Majesty's Royal Air Force at it's finest
Coff.
Fascinating story there Gents along with some great pics
I reckon all of you guys have quite a few more stories from GW1 to tell ... Her Majesty's Royal Air Force at it's finest
Coff.
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After the above ... the following seems a bit lame now 
... But it made me smile 
As AA62 will probably confirm ... we don't get too much low level military flying in these parts (LFA 18) ... No disrespect to RAF Odiham and their Chinooks ... This afternoon was different though !
14:05A ... The glorious music of four turboprops bashing the air into submission announced the impending arrival of something big, heavy and very low ... 15 seconds later the unmistakable shape of a Herc heading south followed by a nice tight turn over Heathfield Park East Sx (clearly a WP) ... Then heading west, skirting around the Gatwick Zone to the south of Uckfield ... Brilliant
Not a RAF Herc though ... as she was sporting a USAF Star insignia.
Come on XXIV, 30 and 47 Squadrons ... there are a few people around here that need to be reminded occasionally that we still have a superb and very professional RAF (no smoke)
Coff.
... But it made me smile As AA62 will probably confirm ... we don't get too much low level military flying in these parts (LFA 18) ... No disrespect to RAF Odiham and their Chinooks ... This afternoon was different though !
14:05A ... The glorious music of four turboprops bashing the air into submission announced the impending arrival of something big, heavy and very low ... 15 seconds later the unmistakable shape of a Herc heading south followed by a nice tight turn over Heathfield Park East Sx (clearly a WP) ... Then heading west, skirting around the Gatwick Zone to the south of Uckfield ... Brilliant
Not a RAF Herc though ... as she was sporting a USAF Star insignia.
Come on XXIV, 30 and 47 Squadrons ... there are a few people around here that need to be reminded occasionally that we still have a superb and very professional RAF (no smoke)
Coff.
Coffman,
not seen an RAF Herc around here for some time. A few years ago when my grandson was playing for the Sussex under 14s at Blackstone a 'K' flew right over the pitch. Only my grandson and I knew what it was ! Sign of the times.
not seen an RAF Herc around here for some time. A few years ago when my grandson was playing for the Sussex under 14s at Blackstone a 'K' flew right over the pitch. Only my grandson and I knew what it was ! Sign of the times.
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You chaps ought to move out to the wild west - this is almost a daily occurrence the view from my back garden. To those nice people from BZN who keep heading south at low level over the eastern end of Brinkworth - Thankyou. Keep it up-the neighbours are Herc friendly too. One day I'll have the camera to hand to get a snap of you over the house instead of heading into the distance !
the view from my back garden. To those nice people from BZN who keep heading south at low level over the eastern end of Brinkworth - Thankyou. Keep it up-the neighbours are Herc friendly too. One day I'll have the camera to hand to get a snap of you over the house instead of heading into the distance !
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Re unusual loads, in 1968 we participated in a major NATO exercise in N Norway. One of the airfields we used was Bardufoss which for those who dont know was a German fighter base during WW2 and was the airfield from which the fighters that were protecting Tirpitz should have been scrambled but due to an intelligence cock up weren't, thereby saving 9 and 617 Sqns from being annihilated.
Anyway, the aircraft hangers and dispersals were tunneled into the mountain and apparently had not been much used since WW2. There were piles of german helmets and memorabilia just lying around, I dread to think of the unexploded ordnance that must have been there.
There were Hercs from a number of nationalities; parked next to us was a Canadian. The crew had been exploring around the area and had found an old Howitzer, the type with solid metal wheel rims, and decided it would make a great souvenier. Lots of debate followed about weight, floor loading etc etc - all the good advice was ignored and they proceeded to winch the beast into their aircraft without using the elephant's foot to support the cill. Down comes the cill, up goes the nose, crunch goes the ramp as the rusty howitzer wheels tear into it and now they can neither get the gun into the aircraft nor off the ramp.
We started up and left for Andoya, leaving the Canadian Herc with its nose in the air and the gun half in and half out of the aircraft.
ISTR the gun was like this but even bigger this type weights about 2000kg
Anyway, the aircraft hangers and dispersals were tunneled into the mountain and apparently had not been much used since WW2. There were piles of german helmets and memorabilia just lying around, I dread to think of the unexploded ordnance that must have been there.
There were Hercs from a number of nationalities; parked next to us was a Canadian. The crew had been exploring around the area and had found an old Howitzer, the type with solid metal wheel rims, and decided it would make a great souvenier. Lots of debate followed about weight, floor loading etc etc - all the good advice was ignored and they proceeded to winch the beast into their aircraft without using the elephant's foot to support the cill. Down comes the cill, up goes the nose, crunch goes the ramp as the rusty howitzer wheels tear into it and now they can neither get the gun into the aircraft nor off the ramp.
We started up and left for Andoya, leaving the Canadian Herc with its nose in the air and the gun half in and half out of the aircraft.
ISTR the gun was like this but even bigger this type weights about 2000kg
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Not sure if this will work - its a link to a video of a 'Khe Sahn' approach from the inside.(with the Blue Angels Fat Albert)
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152387514184789
if it doesn't work I'll try and sort it tomorrow
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=10152387514184789
if it doesn't work I'll try and sort it tomorrow
Chickenlover,
Your post on the trip to Kuwait, to refuel Al H, reminds me of a trip I experienced a few weeks later, and concerns the smoke from the oil fires around Kuwait. By then, four crews, each allocated a GE, with a small line Det were operating from Bahrain. Had you wrapped up Victor by then ? Most of the Lyneham team had already returned and picked up their medals (Note 1). Daily resupply flights around various locations were the norm, but, for the crew I was awarded to as a punishment, there was a problem. Our Air Eng was the chap who was the Eng on the collision with the RN chopper in the Falkland Islands. He had a bit of a thing about poor vis and helicopters, and who could blame him.
Anyway, well after your escapade with AH, we were tasked to take an armour plated jag to Kuwait for a top nebby to visit. On the day there was a southerly wind and thankfully (or maybe not) the USAF had installed a tactical ILS at the airport. As we descended in to the black murk that was our approach path, our Air Eng ordered me into the cupola, with the order, shout out if you see any sign of a helicopter. I could see his point, but bugger all else from the cupola! being on headset, all the way down the approach I could hear those "vibrating" call signs that just shout "rotary traffic". We landed OK and on shutdown I was left to clean the windscreens, my first attempt using some water sed I fuel (the windscreens were covered in oil). A 2 hour wait to offload due to movers equipment breakdown allowed us to borrow a land rover to drive a few miles up the "highway of death" made us all consider what an easy war we had had. Anyway, having been rained on, one of my yellow GE T shirts now remains as a permanent reminder of that visit. Despite attempts by Mrs Smudge, she was never able to remove the black spots from it, and it now resides in a draw I keep for treasured memories (unfortunately I failed to place my nav bag there
).
As an aside, we followed that trip with an evening trip to his Jag for the VIP, Lord Wakeham, who I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to during the flight to Kuwait. He particularly appreciated his tour of the burning oil wells, although the skipper decided he should not be on headset at the same time as N***y B*b our Air Eng
Cleaning the windscreens Bahrain February 91. XV297, Note Garfield doesn't have any wording yet. His finger may be indicating the similarity between my head and his beachball
Note 1. On my Return to Lyneham sometime in March I was told to report to a young lady Flt Lt in handbrake house, who proceeded to bend my ear about failing to collect my awards, sign here and threw a small brown folded envelope over her table to me. I did my best to be grateful, duly touched forelock (found to be missing) and departed. That medal still lies in its bent brown envelope, accepted in the spirit it was awarded.
Smudge
Your post on the trip to Kuwait, to refuel Al H, reminds me of a trip I experienced a few weeks later, and concerns the smoke from the oil fires around Kuwait. By then, four crews, each allocated a GE, with a small line Det were operating from Bahrain. Had you wrapped up Victor by then ? Most of the Lyneham team had already returned and picked up their medals (Note 1). Daily resupply flights around various locations were the norm, but, for the crew I was awarded to as a punishment, there was a problem. Our Air Eng was the chap who was the Eng on the collision with the RN chopper in the Falkland Islands. He had a bit of a thing about poor vis and helicopters, and who could blame him.
Anyway, well after your escapade with AH, we were tasked to take an armour plated jag to Kuwait for a top nebby to visit. On the day there was a southerly wind and thankfully (or maybe not) the USAF had installed a tactical ILS at the airport. As we descended in to the black murk that was our approach path, our Air Eng ordered me into the cupola, with the order, shout out if you see any sign of a helicopter. I could see his point, but bugger all else from the cupola! being on headset, all the way down the approach I could hear those "vibrating" call signs that just shout "rotary traffic". We landed OK and on shutdown I was left to clean the windscreens, my first attempt using some water sed I fuel (the windscreens were covered in oil). A 2 hour wait to offload due to movers equipment breakdown allowed us to borrow a land rover to drive a few miles up the "highway of death" made us all consider what an easy war we had had. Anyway, having been rained on, one of my yellow GE T shirts now remains as a permanent reminder of that visit. Despite attempts by Mrs Smudge, she was never able to remove the black spots from it, and it now resides in a draw I keep for treasured memories (unfortunately I failed to place my nav bag there
). As an aside, we followed that trip with an evening trip to his Jag for the VIP, Lord Wakeham, who I had the pleasure of meeting and talking to during the flight to Kuwait. He particularly appreciated his tour of the burning oil wells, although the skipper decided he should not be on headset at the same time as N***y B*b our Air Eng
Cleaning the windscreens Bahrain February 91. XV297, Note Garfield doesn't have any wording yet. His finger may be indicating the similarity between my head and his beachball
Note 1. On my Return to Lyneham sometime in March I was told to report to a young lady Flt Lt in handbrake house, who proceeded to bend my ear about failing to collect my awards, sign here and threw a small brown folded envelope over her table to me. I did my best to be grateful, duly touched forelock (found to be missing) and departed. That medal still lies in its bent brown envelope, accepted in the spirit it was awarded.
Smudge
Last edited by smujsmith; 9th Sep 2014 at 23:43.
smudge,
ref your GW1 medal, the adj had our collection in their brown envelopes,
and you just signed for it. I have no idea where mine is.
ref your GW1 medal, the adj had our collection in their brown envelopes,
and you just signed for it. I have no idea where mine is.
Another pic of ASI. Your mission is to find your box in all those.
Nimbev,
I would hope the loadmaster was absent when the 'nick a gun trick' was tried. When we did Op Sheepskin, 47 brought back a couple of old cannons from a Caribbean island. Wonder what happened to them.
I would hope the loadmaster was absent when the 'nick a gun trick' was tried. When we did Op Sheepskin, 47 brought back a couple of old cannons from a Caribbean island. Wonder what happened to them.
There was a significant helo/albert collision during GW1, it happened on the ground when a (Saudi?) Super Puma taxied through the wing of one of hercs whilst it was starting up. As I recall the ALM on the long lead got a free Avtur shower and several feet were trimmed off the starboard wing. I think that the frame was later recovered to Lyneham by a STANEVAL/Test crew who had been issued with a large bag of brave pills.
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I considered the 'Yellow Bombers' as 'brave pills' on account if I needed them, then I was somewhere I shouldn't be (in terms of personal safety).
Of course the danger barometer always climbed several units when you found yourself co-located with Kate Adey . . .
Fortunately, I was on Timmy then and (get this) was Route Checked into Kuwait airport the day after the EOD teams declared it clear. We also lost a generator just as we hit the smoke clouds from the burning oil wells, it was like a scene from Dante's Inferno and not a nice thing to do to a pretty white aeroplane.
Life must go on . . . mustn't grumble
Of course the danger barometer always climbed several units when you found yourself co-located with Kate Adey . . .
Fortunately, I was on Timmy then and (get this) was Route Checked into Kuwait airport the day after the EOD teams declared it clear. We also lost a generator just as we hit the smoke clouds from the burning oil wells, it was like a scene from Dante's Inferno and not a nice thing to do to a pretty white aeroplane.
Life must go on . . . mustn't grumble
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