The story of the C-130 Hercules that landed on USS Forrestal

https://theaviationist.com/2014/07/1...nd-on-carrier/

Even if, nowadays, the C-2 Greyhound is the biggest transport aircraft designed
specifically for carrier operations, on Oct. 30 1963, in an attempt to
investigate the possibilities of using the C-130 for logistic support for U.S.
fleet, a Hercules made an experimental landing on the aircraft carrier USS
Forrestal (CVA-59).

With the successful test, which took place in moderately rough seas in the North
Atlantic 500 miles off the coast of Boston, the Hercules became the largest and
heaviest aircraft to ever land on an aircraft carrier, a record that stands to
this day.

The idea behind this unusual test was the so-called “Super Carrier Onboard
Delivery” (Super COD) aircraft.

The COD concept was born to resupply aircraft carriers with urgently needed
items. At the beginning of the 1960s, the airplane used for such task was the
Grumman C-1 Trader, a twin piston-engine aircraft with a limited payload
capacity and 300-mile range, the Chief of Naval Operations ordered to assess the
possibility of operating a bigger transport airplane aboard the Norfolk-based
USS Forrestal (CVA-59).

As explained by Joseph Earl Dabney in his book Herk: Hero of the Skies the
C-130 was selected for its stability and reliability, combined with a long
cruising range and the capability of carrying large payloads.

The crew for this historic test consisted of Lt. James H. Flatley III, pilot;
Lt. Cmdr. W.W. Stovall, copilot; ADR-1 E.F. Brennan, flight engineer; and
Lockheed engineering flight test pilot Ted H. Limmer, Jr.

When Lt. James H. Flatley III was told about his new assignment, he thought
somebody was pulling his leg. “Operate a C-130 off an aircraft carrier?
Somebody’s got to be kidding,” he said.

According to Dabney a KC-130F refueler transport (BuNo 149798), on loan from the
U.S. Marines and delivered on Oct. 8, 1963 was chosen for the historical trial.

Lockheed’s only modifications to the original plane was a smaller nose-landing
gear orifice, an improved anti-skid braking system, and removal of the underwing
refueling pods. “The big worry was whether we could meet the maximum sink rate
of nine feet per second,” Flatley said. But, the Navy was amazed to find they
were able to better this mark by a substantial margin.

The initial sea trials started on Oct. 30 1963 and were conducted into a 40-knot
wind: however the crew successfully performed 29 touch-and-go landings, 21
unarrested full-stop landings, and 21 unassisted takeoffs at gross weights of
85,000 pounds up to 121,000 pounds.

At 85,000 pounds, the KC-130F came to a complete stop within 267 feet, about
twice the aircraft’s wing span as remarked by Dabney on his book.

The Navy discovered that even with a maximum payload, the plane used only 745
feet of flight deck for takeoff and 460 feet for landing. These achievements
were confirmed by Lockheed’s Ted Limmer, who checked out fighter pilot Flatley
in the C-130 and stayed on for some of the initial touch-and-go and full-stop
landings. “The last landing I participated in, we touched down about 150 feet
from the end, stopped in 270 feet more and launched from that position, using
what was left of the deck. We still had a couple hundred feet left when we
lifted off.”

The plane’s wingspan cleared the Forrestal’s flight deck “island” control tower
by just under 15 feet as the plane roared down the deck on a specially painted
line.

As explained by Dabney, Lockheed’s chief engineer, Art E. Flock was aboard the
USS Forrestal to observe the testing. “The sea was pretty big that day. I was up
on the captain’s bridge. I watched a man on the ship’s bow as that bow must have
gone up and down 30 feet.”

The speed of the ship was increased 10 knots to reduce yaw motion and to reduce
wind direction: in this way, when the plane landed, it had a 40 to 50 kts wind
on the nose. “That airplane stopped right opposite the captain’s bridge,”
recalled Flock. “There was cheering and laughing. There on the side of the
fuselage, a big sign had been painted on that said, “LOOK MA, NO HOOK.”

The analysis of data collected by the U.S. Navy during the tests highlighted
that the C-130 Hercules could carry 25,000 pounds of freight, fly for 2,500
miles and eventually land on a carrier. However, the procedure was considered a
bit too risky for the C-130 and the Navy decided to use a smaller COD aircraft.
For his effort, the Navy awarded Flatley the Distinguished Flying Cross.





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