# C-130 Hercules cargo plane turns 60 **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2015, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121 "2015-04-08T13:51:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![JHBoom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/13edae/32.png) [@JHBoom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JHBoom)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2017, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/41 "2017-07-26T04:33:46Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > [C130 JATO](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLFB7q8tyd8) What a ride that must be! I got to ride on the flight deck of Fat Albert during their Sunday demo flight at the Rochester Air Show in 2000, JATO takeoff and all. It was a hell of a ride; to this day, it’s one of my most treasured memories. Back in the previous century I flew from PA to CA in a Marine KC-130, with a stop at a small airport in Kansas City for a splash of fuel and 3 large trays of barbecue. It was odd seeing the delivery driver completely unfazed by carrying 3 trays of barbecue from his car to a C-130… until one of the -130 pilots told us later in the flight that this particular airport (whose name has unfortunately been bumped from my memory since then) had A LOT of transient traffic because the FBO would take your order over the radio before you landed, and the barbecue place would deliver plane-side. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2019, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/42 "2019-02-06T05:17:02Z")
Bumped. Want a keychain tag made of genuine C-130A fuselage material?: [https://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/lockheed-c-130a-hercules-plane-tag.html](https://www.sportys.com/wrightbros/lockheed-c-130a-hercules-plane-tag.html) ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/43 "2020-10-11T02:04:16Z")
Bumped. Just came across this pic of a USCG Herc over an iceberg: [International Ice Patrol - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Ice_Patrol#/media/File:USCG_International_Ice_Patrol_C-130.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/44 "2020-10-11T09:06:15Z")
[![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/iMo9N5uFwXk/maxresdefault.jpg "ANTARCTICA: Hercules C-130. US-Air Force. McMurdo to Casey Station") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMo9N5uFwXk) This guy could probably land on the iceberg. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/45 "2020-10-11T12:17:42Z")
amazing defense contractors have not bribed enough people to get new models built ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/46 "2020-10-11T16:20:36Z")
Thanks for the video, **Bear**. I definitely wouldn’t want to be behind that pallet of cargo when it started rolling out. Anyone know how much the nonretractable landing skids slow the plane? ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/47 "2020-10-11T18:05:30Z")
My two childhood friends both ride these beasts. One was a co-pilot in Alaska, the other is a flight engineer on a fire bomber. Interesting stories from both these guys. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/48 "2020-10-11T20:22:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Thanks for the video, **Bear**. It’s neat with those skis, but I always prefer that they don’t land at all. There are better ways to ride a C-130 into the Arctic: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2I2u7Y8dfrM/maxresdefault.jpg "Army Paratroopers Jump Into the Arctic") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I2u7Y8dfrM) ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2020, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/49 "2020-10-11T20:23:08Z")
Hey cool @JerrySTL. My dad was stationed at RAF Lakenheath 75-77 and RAF Upper Heyford 81-86. While I’ve sat in the cockpit of an F-111E, and walked around the cargo bay of a Hercules and C-5 Galaxy, I’ve not had the honor of flying in one. Happy birthday Herc! ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2020, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/50 "2020-11-21T19:53:36Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > …Anyone know how much the nonretractable landing skids slow the plane? Any takers? ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/51 "2020-11-22T01:34:44Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Any takers? No idea. But they do retract a bit. What’s interesting is that the Air force lists the cruise speed of the LC-130H as [350mph](https://www.109aw.ang.af.mil/About/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/449363/lc-130-hercules/), whereas the C-130H has an advertised cruise speed of 336mph. There are C-130 variants that advertise speeds over 400mph. But that’s going to be higher altitude performance. From a practical level, I don’t think any C-130 regularly flies over 300mph, especially full of cargo. So the skis are going to reduce efficiency, but not actually decrease their normal operating speed. But it’s all just a guess. I don’t really know the full effect of those skis. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/52 "2020-11-22T02:27:22Z")
A private Learjet makes no sense. A private C-130 seems to be a much better choice. I wonder why no airliner variant ever hit it big. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/53 "2020-11-22T21:24:28Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > A private Learjet makes no sense. A private C-130 seems to be a much better choice… For what? ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/54 "2020-11-23T01:23:31Z")
Once I win the lottery, my wife and I can fly to obscure yarn stores in the Falkland Islands and bring the jeep with us. As for an airliner, I would imagine it could provide service to rough fields in tourist areas, or simply to remote settlements. On the other hand I realize that such calculations are complex and I am sure Smart People have already the numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/55 "2020-11-23T02:58:47Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > For what? Do you know how cool a private C-130 would be? Just ‘In Your Face-Ness’. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/56 "2020-11-23T20:45:04Z")
It’d need a _lot_ of work to be as comfy as a Learjet, and it’d never be as fast. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/57 "2020-11-26T15:25:14Z")
But then again you cannot jump a Learjet. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2020, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/58 "2020-11-26T19:02:36Z")
Nor can you carry a car in it. Brian ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/59 "2021-06-11T13:42:01Z")
Bumped. Just came across a reference to this Herc theft: > **[1969 theft of C-130](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969_theft_of_C-130)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > The 1969 theft of a C-130 from RAF Mildenhall happened on 23 May 1969. > Sergeant Paul Meyer was an aircraft mechanic in the United States Air Force. At the age of 23 he was already a Vietnam veteran. He had married earlier that year and was close to his wife and stepchildren. He had flashbacks and was homesick and unhappy. He also was drinking heavily. > A few days before the theft he'd requested to be transferred from Mildenhall to Langley Air Fo... ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2021, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121/60 "2021-06-12T00:32:34Z")
A J Herc is going to run you North of $100 million before you send it off to get a custom interior. I’ve had lots of time in the belly of the beast when I was in the Air Force. One of the best naps I ever had was after a TD in Inuvik flying back to Cold Lake kipped out on top of the luggage. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/c-130-hercules-cargo-plane-turns-60/717121.md?page=4)