Have you ever seen a C-130 Hercules trying to do a hover over the runway ?

More moons ago, Gator Chunning, after retiring from the Navy and heading up
Lockheed's Navy Projects division told me no mods were done to the prop
pitch. The only mods done were to the brakes, they installed new anti skid
brakes and a smaller nose gear. All external tanks were removed

The aircraft was taken directly out of the USMC stock, a KC130F, sent to
Lockheed for the mods. Then Lt., James Flately III was qualed in the
aircraft by Lockheed's chief test pilot, whose name escapes me right now.

There was a measured 40kt head wind over the bow during the trials. 21 full
unassisted landings and take offs were made before the end of the tests.

Flately was awarded a DFC.

All other stories about rocket assists, modified pitch, downward thrust are
all fairy tails.

Jake

PS On a lighter side - On the fuselage below the cockpit was painted "Look
Ma, no hook!"
"Yofuri" wrote in message
...
Gord Beaman wrote:
"C.D.Damron" wrote:


"William W. Plummer" wrote in
message news:h7mwd.768167$8_6.703195@attbi_s04...

Iwan Bogels wrote:
There was a famous experiment to prove that a fully loaded C-130 could
land on a carrier. The roll-out was 270 feet. Thrust reversers were
used before it was on the deck. I'll bet those landings left something
to be desired for comfort. I think I can find a short video of the
landings and will be happy to post it if someone can tell me where.

I don't think that pitch was reversed in those trials.


I don't know but it could have been after the a/c was on the deck
and even before with some futzing with the squat switch circuits
that normally prevent that. I've seen both of the tapes. How do
you know that they didn't use reverse?
--

-Gord.
(use gordon in email)

Smoky Stover told me that they used pitch reverse, and that the squat
switches had been bypassed to allow it without WOW.

I never knew on how many of the landings they used it or not.

Rick