Cargo planes

[The emperor has no clothes]

My Dad was a Dental Tech. In the AirForce till I was 8. Then repaired Huey's during Nam till I was 13. After that he serviced Cargo planes at Elmendorf. He got to meet a lot of government dignitaries and had opinions of them all. He always said how a person treats the person who empties your crap says a lot about you. Anyway, I would on occasion take him to work if his truck was broke down and got see a lot of different cargo planes. We had a small Air Show in town today and they had a C 54 that flew over town a few times. Cool old planes. Made me think of my Dad today ! And it was good. 

[hubcapsc]

My Dad was a Dental Tech. In the AirForce till I was 8. Then repaired Huey's during Nam till I was 13. After that he serviced Cargo planes at Elmendorf. He got to meet a lot of government dignitaries and had opinions of them all. He always said how a person treats the person who empties your crap says a lot about you. Anyway, I would on occasion take him to work if his truck was broke down and got see a lot of different cargo planes. We had a small Air Show in town today and they had a C 54 that flew over town a few times. Cool old planes. Made me think of my Dad today ! And it was good. 

When I was a co-op student at NAVELEX in Charleston in the late 70's I used
to drive out past North Charleston and park next to the airforce tower (onto
the property and right next to the tower) and watch giant planes land and
take off... pretty much right next to me. I was just some guy, they didn't
know who I was. I remember wandering into the building and getting a coke
from the machine... I don't guess that kind of stuff is possible in these times...

-Mike

[Patrick]

I would think your Dad was a good judge of character.  It seems he was a good judges of areoplanes too.

[The emperor has no clothes]

My Dad was a Dental Tech. In the AirForce till I was 8. Then repaired Huey's during Nam till I was 13. After that he serviced Cargo planes at Elmendorf. He got to meet a lot of government dignitaries and had opinions of them all. He always said how a person treats the person who empties your crap says a lot about you. Anyway, I would on occasion take him to work if his truck was broke down and got see a lot of different cargo planes. We had a small Air Show in town today and they had a C 54 that flew over town a few times. Cool old planes. Made me think of my Dad today ! And it was good. 

When I was a co-op student at NAVELEX in Charleston in the late 70's I used
to drive out past North Charleston and park next to the airforce tower (onto
the property and right next to the tower) and watch giant planes land and
take off... pretty much right next to me. I was just some guy, they didn't
know who I was. I remember wandering into the building and getting a coke
from the machine... I don't guess that kind of stuff is possible in these times...

-Mike

Man, times have changed ! When I was a teenager me and my buddies would drive onto base and use their gym and racquetball courts. I do think we had to get a visitors pass at the gate though. After that we could go and do as we pleased.

[RP#62]

Reminds me of a joke I heard years ago.  A C-130 is on the ramp in Thule on an hour delay because the shitters need to be dumped.  Its well below zero.  Finally, the airman shows up to do the deed and is promptly chewed out by the pilot, a full bird colonel.  After all the yelling and threats, the airman calmly says, I'm a bootcamp, dumping shitters in Thule Greenland at 20 below.  What are you going to do to me that's worse.

-RP

[The emperor has no clothes]

Reminds me of a joke I heard years ago.  A C-130 is on the ramp in Thule on an hour delay because the shitters need to be dumped.  Its well below zero.  Finally, the airman shows up to do the deed and is promptly chewed out by the pilot, a full bird colonel.  After all the yelling and threats, the airman calmly says, I'm a bootcamp, dumping shitters in Thule Greenland at 20 below.  What are you going to do to me that's worse.

-RP

[Jess from VA]

I got rides in these.

C123 Provider (once, my first USAF ride, a mobility team practices deploying to ... somewhere.  We turned around and came right back to Maxwell AFB)
 

C141 Starlifter  (many times)


C130 Hercules  (many times) (one noisy turboprop SOB, with the best windows, cockpit)


C5A Galaxy  (once)  (talk about a fat girl)


Fuel is cargo too.

KC 135 Stratotanker  (several times)


KC10 Extender tanker  (several times) (best, quietest ride of them all)


Sick and wounded are cargo. (I was neither, just hopped a ride, once)
C9 Medevac


Hauling the general around is cargo (several times, once with my wife sneaked aboard, and the only one they let me fly for about 10 minutes, everyone lived)
C12 Huron (Twin Beach King Air)


On the C141s and 130s, sometimes they rolled in seats to sit on.


Other times, you got the web seats (which were freaking cold at altitude)


If you remembered to pay for a box lunch, you got a box with a couple baloney and cheese sandwiches on wonderbread, and an apple.  Only $2.50, and worth every penny (but not a penny more).


On one short hop in a C130, this was the only restroom aboard.  It wasn't bad for me, but the female lieutenant I was sitting next to wanted to know just how was she suppose to use THAT!!  That was a trick question, and I bit my tongue, and laughter.


  

[John Schmidt]

Sometimes "fondly" referred to as Honey Buckets. At one point in my AF time I was working on the bombing systems of the B-36, 52, & 47. The buckets on the B-47 were mounted such that if it overflowed it splashed around on the inside of the radome, which in turn affected the returns on the screen once frozen. It also affected the smell in the plane once you got low enough for it to thaw. I learned all this one night while I was working the night shift when we got a workorder re. a 47 with the bottom of the screen not showing any returns. It had made an unscheduled stop at Pease AFB for the sole purpose of having the repairs done. I took the WO and drove out to the plane only to be met by a bird colonel that was hopping mad. After getting an earful with the understanding that I wasn't the last person to work on his toys, I fired up the system. Sure enough, the bottom half was fuzzy and blank of returns so I dropped the radome thinking I'd run some tests on the RT unit. Soon as the radome was dropped a bunch of well stirred up and putrid smelling crap....literally, fell out and onto the ramp. About that time the colonel came storming up yelling at me for being so foolish as to drop the radome when it was obvious it was the radar screen inside. However, he took one look and started to puke. Without cracking as much as a smile(I was dying to roll on the ramp laughing), I told him I'll clean it up but need to get some supplies....and took off in the truck used on the flightline. I headed back to the shop, grabbed a huge bunch of rags then headed for the break room. One coffee urn, 50-60 cup capacity, had been cooking all day and was really potent. I took that and some special cleaner, made a quick call to a friend that worked on ground crews, then headed back to the plane. The coffee cleaned(and deodorized) the radome and surrounding parts. I followed that with the special cleaner on everything in sight, but mostly on the inside of the radome. My groundcrew buddy got the honey bucket serviced and everything cleaned up and out. I closed the radome enough to test the system and all was fine so completed the WO and the loudmouth colonel signed it. A couple days later I was called into the squadron commander's office where he and the first shirt questioned me on that night. I'm thinking I got my butt in a sling but no.....they just wanted the details before showing me a letter of gratitude sent by that plane's a/c.....the colonel. In the end I could have done without the reputation garnered from that night, but it was all good natured....for the most part. 

[The emperor has no clothes]

Jess, I rode a 130 with the web seats from Travis-McChord-Ketchikan-Elmendorf-Adak-Yokosuka-Clark. With a couple box lunches thrown in. If I remember right about 19 hours, cold, loud. Got off in Clark and was drenched in sweat in 5 seconds.

[Rams]

Nice pics Jess.

Have taken off and flown in both C130 and C141.   Never did get to the landing part.

[DirtyDan]

Nice pics Jess.

Have taken off and flown in both C130 and C141.   Never did get to the landing part.

..... do tell

Dan

[Rams]

Nice pics Jess.

Have taken off and flown in both C130 and C141.   Never did get to the landing part.

..... do tell

Dan

I'm guessing but, we must have been having too much fun, the load master told us to get out/off before we landed.   Obviously, he had no sense of humor................. 

[LandElephant]

Dad was an engine mech / crew chief in the Army Air Corp and then the Air Force.  He worked on C-47 Goonie Birds, B-24, B-25, B-17's during WWII.  Finally in 1951 my Father and Mother wre both transferred to Bradley Memorial AF Station in Grandy CT.  As we were growing up we would get rides in C-47's, C-117 (flying Boxcar), C124 when my mom was piloting or if my dad could get permission from the Training Officer (my mother).

When I joined the Marines I got to ride on C-130's, C-135's,C-141's, C-5A's, C-1 (CODS), C-2 (Greyhounds),A H-1H's, H-47's, H-53's, and P-3 A and B's.  The most exciting flight was in the backseat of a RF-4B. That was a rush.

Never turned down an opportunity to advance my adventures.

Charlie Morse
LandElephant

[Patrick]

Nice pics Jess.

Have taken off and flown in both C130 and C141.   Never did get to the landing part.

..... do tell

Dan

I'm guessing but, we must have been having too much fun, the load master told us to get out/off before we landed.   Obviously, he had no sense of humor................. 

I'm going to assume that you 'landed' one way or another, or, are you still floating around way up there somewhere ?   

[Rams]

Nice pics Jess.

Have taken off and flown in both C130 and C141.   Never did get to the landing part.

..... do tell

Dan

I'm guessing but, we must have been having too much fun, the load master told us to get out/off before we landed.   Obviously, he had no sense of humor................. 

I'm going to assume that you 'landed' one way or another, or, are you still floating around way up there somewhere ?   

What goes up, must come down.   Down we came, just not in the airplane.......... 

[old2soon]

Navy C 1 C 2 As-helped bring this into the fleet in 66. S H 3 A Good ol triple tail Connie's-D C 3/C 47- 118s-North American Sabre Liner-One ride in an F-4 I'll never forget. Wuz tryin to wangle a ride in an A-6 but that never materialized. Couple of cat shots and arrested landings in Grumman S 2 Ds and Es. Tried to wangle a ride in an old A D-Spad-but that fell thru also. And I'm guessin I survived it all!  RIDE SAFE.

[davit]

I'm enjoying this thread.    

My son is in tech school as an Air Force Boom and going up on his first refueling flight tomorrow morning in a KC 135, refueling three C 17's.

[The emperor has no clothes]

I'm enjoying this thread.    

My son is in tech school as an Air Force Boom and going up on his first refueling flight tomorrow morning in a KC 135, refueling three C 17's.

very cool !

[old2soon]

I'm enjoying this thread.    

My son is in tech school as an Air Force Boom and going up on his first refueling flight tomorrow morning in a KC 135, refueling three C 17's.

                  Videos I've seen appears the job-boomer-is interesting. Congrats to your son. Aim High-Air Force. RIDE SAFE.

[Jess from VA]

Boomer position in KC135.  If you want to watch, you have to lay on the floor next to him.




Boomer position in the KC10.  He gets to sit up.  If you want to watch, there's little jump seats on each side.




I watched in both aircraft.  You get damn close to the other airplane and can clearly see the pilot of the refueled aircraft.  I asked a boomer what was the craziest thing he ever saw, and he said one time an A10 Aardvark driver came up with a full size blow up doll on his lap.


Watched an SR71 refueled; like right out of StarWars.  (all gone now)

[Rams]

Jess,
Got any pics of aero refueling of helicopters from that point of view?    Obviously, the Army doesn't do that kind of thing but, I always thought that would be a tricky maneuver.    More moving parts involved ya know.   

[Jess from VA]

Ron, helicopters are refueled from hose and drogue (not booms) from the wings, so there is no boomer position that I'm aware of.

Blackhawk from C130.



With the back door open.


Jets can't go slow enough to refuel choppers.

[Art708]

Dad was an engine mech / crew chief in the Army Air Corp and then the Air Force.  He worked on C-47 Goonie Birds, B-24, B-25, B-17's during WWII.  Finally in 1951 my Father and Mother wre both transferred to Bradley Memorial AF Station in Grandy CT.  As we were growing up we would get rides in C-47's, C-117 (flying Boxcar), C124 when my mom was piloting or if my dad could get permission from the Training Officer (my mother).

When I joined the Marines I got to ride on C-130's, C-135's,C-141's, C-5A's, C-1 (CODS), C-2 (Greyhounds),A H-1H's, H-47's, H-53's, and P-3 A and B's.  The most exciting flight was in the backseat of a RF-4B. That was a rush.

Never turned down an opportunity to advance my adventures.

Charlie Morse
LandElephant

   
   The F-4 was a helluva plane.  I was sitting at the terminal at Cubi Point, PI waiting for the MarLog flight to Danang from where I would take a COD out to the Ranger. This LCDR came over and asked if I needed a ride, I said for sure. We went outside and over to an F-4. I got strapped into the back seat and away we went. He had some business aboard the Ranger and he waited about 2 hours for me to finish my work and we got catted off and went back to Cubi. Man, that was one exciting flight! Was the only time I'd ever flown in a Phantom or landed on a carrier except for a COD or Helo.

[Rams]

Ron, helicopters are refueled from hose and drogue (not booms) from the wings, so there is no boomer position that I'm aware of.

With the back door open.


Jets can't go slow enough to refuel choppers.

Believe it or not, I knew this.   Just hadn't seen any pics from the refueler before.   But, you provided what I was wanting to see.   Thanks.

[old2soon]

Art708-what COD did you fly in? C-1 or C2A? As I stated earlier I helped bring the C2ALFA into the fleet in 1966. When VRC-50 started going to the Carriers on Yankee station the seats were facing rearward. O K fer landing Not so o k for launch. Anyone here remember Gibbs hanging on to a strap during launch of a C-2 on N C I S? I called B S the first time I saw it. NOBODY on GODS green earth is THAT Strong. If you've ever had a cat shot or an arrested landing you KNOW. RIDE SAFE.

[Art708]

Art708-what COD did you fly in? C-1 or C2A? As I stated earlier I helped bring the C2ALFA into the fleet in 1966. When VRC-50 started going to the Carriers on Yankee station the seats were facing rearward. O K fer landing Not so o k for launch. Anyone here remember Gibbs hanging on to a strap during launch of a C-2 on N C I S? I called B S the first time I saw it. NOBODY on GODS green earth is THAT Strong. If you've ever had a cat shot or an arrested landing you KNOW. RIDE SAFE.

   As well as I can remember back then it was a C2. I also remember , I think, that a C2's load wasn't secured properly and when it left the carrier deck the load shifted aft and the plane stalled tail first into the drink. I think they lost the dental captain of the ship as well as several other sailors. Didn't see it, only heard....true, I dunno for sure.

[scooperhsd]

Navy (and Marine) aircraft refuel with the drogue as well. There USED to be a KA6D that was used to refuel the other birds - not sure what they are using now (besides using the Air Force's tankers).