Ever seen a C-130 land on a carrier?

**Gotham Resident** · 02-25-2016 09:48

**Teaticket** · 02-25-2016 10:25

Amazing. They make it look easy!

**Tonx** · 02-25-2016 12:17

Off the top of my head this was a US Navy operated C-130 during trials in 1963. Holds the record for the largest aircraft ever to land and take off from an aircraft carrier in terms of both regular and irregular operations. The carrier used in these trials was the USS Forrestal.

As things turned out the US Navy had a rethink after these trials in terms of carrier logistics and instead of using C-130s regularly decided on a smaller aircraft to fulfil this role. Not sure how long after this the first Grumman C-2A Greyhounds appeared but these are what is still in use today. They are based on the Grumman E-2C Hawkeye AEW aircraft.

**Rebel** · 02-25-2016 15:47

Hi Barney
Fantastic shots! Amazing just how fast it came to a dead stop. Loved the logo-Look Mum, No Hook.

**Tonx** · 02-25-2016 16:17

Hi Reg I agree - but it was actually Mischa (Gotham Resident) who started this thread.

I have to confess that I never noticed that the Hercules carried Look Mum, No Hook. before! Thanks to this I have an excuse to watch this video again

There is something hilarious that I could compliment this video with ... Although it is actually flown on MS Flight Simulator 2004 so it would not count so much - even with me using as real as dammit settings!

On special occasions at Chopper Squad I am known to fly my party piece which involves successfully flying a loop in an Aerospatiale-turned Eurocopter-now Airbus Helicopters AS.365 Dauphin ... Or HH-65C Dolphin (US Coast Guard) helicopter on FS2004. Two pilots from the Vigili di Costa (Italian Coast Guard / Sardinia) and I first performed this in February 2009: Used FRAPS to make a video of it and add the Lily Allen song It's Not Fair as background music. I then put this on Youtube and it lasted a month: Had to remove it after another organisation we were training pilots with spotted it and frowned upon what they saw!

**Gotham Resident** · 02-25-2016 22:03

Originally Posted by Tonx

Off the top of my head this was a US Navy operated C-130 during trials in 1963. Holds the record for the largest aircraft ever to land and take off from an aircraft carrier in terms of both regular and irregular operations. The carrier used in these trials was the USS Forrestal.

lol Off the top of you head? Well done!

**Tonx** · 02-26-2016 07:11

Originally Posted by Gotham Resident

lol Off the top of you head? Well done!

Off the top of my head is English slang for recalled from memory - which for once has not let me down it seems

**tikkifriend** · 02-26-2016 10:29

Originally Posted by Teaticket

Amazing. They make it look easy!

That's years of training I guess

**Tonx** · 02-26-2016 11:55

Originally Posted by tikkifriend

That's years of training I guess

This sort of work would only be entrusted to a Test Pilot. Though on multi-engine aircraft like this they would probably have been supported by a Research Test and Evaluation Team.

Cmdr R M Mike Crosley in his book Up In Harm's Way gives a graphic and detailed account of what it takes to even go near becoming a Test Pilot. Captain Eric Winkle Brown is another good source of information as to just what is required and what it takes too although for some reason his exploits appear to overshadow those of Crosley who I once knew personally.

**'Warspite'** · 04-03-2016 09:27

Originally Posted by Gotham Resident

Now you can.

Well it was designed for short take off and landing. If you get the right wind speed plus a bit more from the carrier's movement, landing a C-130 is not only possible but very possible.

Still would not like to be on board if it went wrong, there's no zero altitude ejection from a C-130!