AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2017 - 55

The 189th Airlift Wing of the Arkansas Air National Guard is based
at Little Rock Air Force Base (aka "the Rock") and is the formal training
unit for the Hercules. Herk pilots from all U.S. military branches, and
from 44 allied nations, get their training at the "schoolhouse." The 189th
has the world's most experienced Hercules crews, who pridefully refer
to themselves as the last of the military's real airplane pilots.
FLYING THE HERK

During my visit to the Rock, more than 70 C-130s were on the ramp,
mostly H models. These were built in the greatest numbers and are the
most widely used. Others were the newer C-130J, the Super Hercules,
which has more powerful engines, six-blade Dowty composite propellers (instead of four-blade Hamilton Standards), and improved
performance. Automated systems and a glass cockpit eliminate both
the ﬂight engineer and the navigator. The C-130J-30 is the stretched
version. The U.S. military is targeted to have a ﬂeet of 308 Hs and Js.
The H models eventually will be modiﬁed with glass cockpits. Most
of the older pilots, however, seem to prefer analog gauges while the
younger ones prefer glass, a seemingly generational split.
My indoctrination ﬂight was in a 1986 C-130H commanded by Lt.
Col. Chris Raymond. Reveille could be heard playing over the base as
we assembled for a dawn brieﬁng. Our aircraft, call sign "Hawg 50,"
was one of a ﬂight of four. We were to make two cargo drops and then
do some low-altitude ﬂying.
You normally enter the Herk through a jettisonable crew door (with
airstair) on the forward left side of the fuselage. You obviously can also
enter through the aft cargo door.
The Herk has such a wide cockpit that you walk on the outboard side
of each pilot's chair to be seated. The 23 windows and short nose allow
for outstanding visibility ahead, below, and to the sides.
The four Allison T-56-A-15 constant-speed turboprop engines (developed speciﬁcally for the C-130 and used later on the Lockheed Electra) are
started pneumatically, and each produces 4,910 effective shaft horsepower.
The geared, constant-speed, reversible propellers turn at only 1,021 rpm.
The rudder pedals are not connected to the nosewheel. A tiller to
the left of the aircraft commander's seat is used to steer the nosewheel
for directional control on the ground.
Takeoff from Runway 25 involved lowering the Fowler-type ﬂaps
to 50 percent, grabbing a ﬁstful of throttles, and advancing them to a
maximum torque setting of 19,600 inch-pounds. The co-pilot pushes
forward on the yoke to increase weight on the nosewheel and maximize steering effectiveness until about 40 knots, which is when the
rudder becomes effective.
Each main landing gear consists of two wheels in tandem that
retract vertically into their wells. Climb speed below 10,000 feet is 180
knots. The airplane has a maximum-allowable takeoff weight of 155,000
pounds (175,000 in wartime) and can carry 9,508 gallons of JP-8 fuel.
Hydraulically boosted ﬂight controls provide the Hercules with
delightful handling qualities and make the airplane lighter on the
controls than many lightplanes. Not much muscle is needed during
60-degree-bank steep turns, standard fare for Herk pilots.
Stall recovery is unremarkable if performed at the onset of a buffet-there is no artiﬁcial stall-warning indicator-but delaying recovery
can require aggressiveness as the aircraft rolls right or left, usually the
result of asymmetric engine power.
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - January 2017