by Curtis Carper

Created on: May 10, 2008   Last Updated: September 09, 2008

Leave it to the Coast Guard to find a way to make an otherwise unappealing aircraft look slick and racy. While the Air National Guard out of Minneapolis flies around Duluth MN in olive drab painted C-130's on a weekly basis, my memories take me back to the early 70's when I flew as a crew member on brightly painted Red, White, and Blue versions of the same airplane.

The Coast Guard adapted it's familiar White background with Red and Blue racing stripe motif in 1967. As aircraft came in for overhaul they were updated to the new color scheme. There's something about going to work in a vehicle that looks good, a certain pride in ownership feeling that isn't confined to just the automotive world. When you climb aboard a Coast Guard C-130 that sense of pride instills the right attitude to succeed. I only got the chance to fly in one once, but it is a memory I haven't forgotten in almost 40 years.

The Navy's Blue Angel demonstration team has a C-130T called "Fat Albert". It's color scheme goes one better, with a White top over a blue lower half this plane proves that a paint job can actually be sexy. With JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) rockets mounted at the rear of the plane behind the wheels on both sides, this aircraft actually jumps almost vertical to an altitude of about 500' after an extremely short takeoff roll.

When the Air Force Thunderbirds come to town, they're usually accompanied by the Army's Golden Knights HALO (High Altitude, Low Opening) Parachute team. Their C-130 jump plane also ranks right up there as one sharp squared away aircraft.

All examples of how even a mundane cargo aircraft can be made to look like something special.

Beyond air shows and Ice Berg patrols, the C-130 cargo plane has been modified in many ways to handle a wide variety of tasks. With skis attached it can land at the South Pole providing life sustaining support for the scientific community who would otherwise be stranded.

Configured as the AC-130 Spectra and the AC-130 Spooky, two very deadly gun ships capable of concentrating a hail of lead on a designated spot. Armed with 20mm Gatling Guns, the plane can slowly circle directing thousands of rounds into a tight location causing utter and complete destruction decimating anything within that confined area. With their 105mm howitzer cannons they are more like an airborne tank able to arrive quickly, do the job completely, and disappear from the area as fast as they arrived.

Not all the C-130 does is colorful or deadly, this aircraft is seen on a daily basis delivering life saving food and water as humanitarian aid all around the world. When disaster strikes anywhere, the first fixed wing aircraft on the ground will always be the study workhorse the C-130.

Not a bad reputation for an aircraft who's maiden flight took place Aug. 23, 1954. Yes that's right this aircraft has been around for 54 years. And with 40 different variations serving in 50 different countries today, it's safe to say the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, a four engine turbo-prop aircraft capable of flying 336 mph at a height of 33,000', will be in service for many years into the future.

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