C. 130 ID

Dave Kearton
writes:

The dark band around the fuselage is where the insert
goes to make it longer. Hmmm, my vote is for a RAF
Hercules C1


If you look closely, this is a J-model. Note the barely
visible dark patch at the bottom of the vertical stabil-
izer's leading edge. (What's that for, anyway? Is it a
dielectric covering for some sort of antenna? In any case,
only J-models have it.)

Also, note the distinctive way that the undersides of the
engine nacelles curve upward toward the back. The T56-
powered earlier models' engines don't look like that.
And if you look closely at the #4 engine, it has the
ugly blunt spinner of the J-model.

(Why do planes with those newfangled, six- and eight-
bladed propellers always seem to have those blunt
spinners? The Airbus A400M and the latest version of
the Grumman Hawkeye also come to mind. They don't look
very aerodynamic.)

See how the lower fuselage kicks up immediately aft of
the paratroop door? This is a standard-length C-130,
not one of the stretched versions. On the stretched
ones, the lower fuselage continues horizontally for a
few feet further aft before reaching the leading edge
of the ramp.

"The C4 is almost the same size as the current C3 [long-
fuselage] aircraft, but with a slightly shorter fuselage,
while the C5 is the same size as the C1."

-- http://www.raf.mod.uk/equipment/herculesc4c5.cfm

Verdict: Since an unpainted American C-130 is unlikely
to be in UK skies, it's almost certainly an RAF Hercules
C5.



Geoff

--
"Do you ever get the idea that our government
is a bunch of left-wing undergraduates come to
power?" -- Jay Nordlinger in National Review