Military Airlift

PHall · September 15, 2019, 08:09:01 PM

Quote from: GaryVC on September 15, 2019, 05:35:18 PM
I have 1700 hours in KC-135s (A and Q models with the old engines) and 1100 in EC-135Js. The EC-135s had different engines and I expected them to be quieter but there wasn't a significant difference. I think that most of what we heard in the cockpit was "wind" noise.

Depends on which model of EC you're talking about. Some like the EC-135A, EC-135G and EC-135L still had J57's.
The EC-135C, EC-135J and the EC-135H after they were reengined had TF-33's.
And yes there was a fair amount of "wind" noise in the cockpit but the air conditioning system made a lot of noise too!
The air cycle machine put out a fairly high pitched howl that if you were seated near the over wing hatch could be heard and felt even in flight.

Cliff_Chambliss · September 16, 2019, 01:09:48 PM

Talk about resurrecting memories. As a cadet in the early 1960's we flew from Birmingham, Al to Maxwell AFB (about a 45 minute flight) for Summer Encampment in a C-47. Wednesday was the big day at encampment as all the cadets spent a half day on the rifle range shooting M-1 Carbines. The last day top scoring cadets received T-37 or T-33 rides.

PHall · September 16, 2019, 05:45:53 PM

And these days we're happy if we can get a couple of UH-60's for O-rides at encampment.

Spam · September 16, 2019, 06:34:46 PM

I dunno, guys. We're flying cadets on C-130s etc. every year and have been for years.

Legacy C-130H2s out of Dobbins (94AW) as well as brand new HC-130J Combat King IIs (the search and rescue C-130s) out of Moody. So, all 3 components: Reserve, Guard, and Active Duty are flying our cadets. Plus the odd helo, etc. (I almost had an MH-60G gunship last summer at encampment and will keep trying for that). I even got groups of cadets in to fly the F-22 simulators at Lockheed a few years ago.

Thing is, our CAP-USAF side... really didn't help much at all. You have to hit the phones yourself and be persistent and polite. Have your flight manifest and any waivers filled out properly and have a prioritized pax manifest with fill ins for no shows. Start working months ahead with the units. Follow up nicely with a thank you (pic, plaque, something) to show the appreciation of the cadets, and make sure you get the names of the aircrew and mention them by name in a thank you email through your Wing/CC to their (USAF) Wing/CC to get them credit. Long term, it builds a good relationship.

R/s
Spam

AlphaSigOU · September 16, 2019, 07:33:40 PM

Back in the day when dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was a cadink... we hopped on a DC ANG T-43A from Homestead ARB (it was FB back then) to Columbus AFB and finally to Laughlin AFB for the ATC Familiarization Course (ATCFC) aboard T-43A 72-0284, which later became one of the JANET Air shuttles.

Coming back, a higher-priority tasking dumped us at West Palm Beach International Airport (PBI/KPBI) and so our parents had to drove nearly 100 miles to pick us up.

Eclipse · September 16, 2019, 07:39:18 PM

Quote from: Spam on September 16, 2019, 06:34:46 PM
I dunno, guys. We're flying cadets on C-130s etc. every year and have been for years.

Yes, but not airlift, only O-rides.

PHall · September 16, 2019, 07:53:25 PM

Quote from: Eclipse on September 16, 2019, 07:39:18 PM
Quote from: Spam on September 16, 2019, 06:34:46 PM
I dunno, guys. We're flying cadets on C-130s etc. every year and have been for years.

Yes, but not airlift, only O-rides.

He does have a point.

Spam · September 16, 2019, 08:52:02 PM

Ah, I see what you mean.

Yeah, we did have a couple of units who were using the scheduled Reservist support round robin flight from Atlanta - Charleston - Jax. They took their units to Charleston to tour the USS Yorktown, or Pcola to the Museum. Then I heard they discontinued the weekend relo flight for reservists four years ago or so, and now our units drive.

Which isn't to say that it cant happen again. I had approval three years ago to fly a C-130 load of cadets to WPAFB to the Museum, with a one night RON, but the sticking point was the cost for billeting. Had we gotten in the 100K donation then that we got last year, it would have been a GO. Billeting was the only problem, not airlift.

Also, just thought of this; PRWG routinely flies up to events on a PR ANG C-130; I saw them a year or so ago using one.

V/r
Spam

PHall · September 17, 2019, 12:53:04 AM

Quote from: Spam on September 16, 2019, 08:52:02 PM
Ah, I see what you mean.

Yeah, we did have a couple of units who were using the scheduled Reservist support round robin flight from Atlanta - Charleston - Jax. They took their units to Charleston to tour the USS Yorktown, or Pcola to the Museum. Then I heard they discontinued the weekend relo flight for reservists four years ago or so, and now our units drive.

Which isn't to say that it cant happen again. I had approval three years ago to fly a C-130 load of cadets to WPAFB to the Museum, with a one night RON, but the sticking point was the cost for billeting. Had we gotten in the 100K donation then that we got last year, it would have been a GO. Billeting was the only problem, not airlift.

Also, just thought of this; PRWG routinely flies up to events on a PR ANG C-130; I saw them a year or so ago using one.

V/r
Spam

PR ANG no longer has C-130's. They currently have a non-flying mission now.