C-130

Those old planes have been used and abused most for decades. Do you think the military babies them in training? They're just old. Besides most planes doing the secondary duties don't get the kind of TLC you garden variety airliner does. Cracks do form and it's not always in the usual suspect N there's the turbulance over those fires at low level.
I've seen days at 500' over a parking lot in a bug smasher was like hitting a speed bump . A forrest Fire has to be a lot more interesting to say the least.
 
Originally Posted by Exhaustgases
And the forest service grounded all the recip fire planes because of one of these ill designed planes.
One went down in Australia.
https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/01/...lane-crashes-in-australia-killing-three/

Here is the one that started it all years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A4QZAxrb28


Planes go down, the fact that it is not a regular occurrence speaks volumes and completely contradicts whatever narrative you are trying to conjure up here. This is a chassis that's been in service since the 1950's and been beat on like a red-headed step-child. It is the backbone of many (most?) transport operations and is used in all manner of climates including arctic missions.

As Driz pointed out, this old girl may not have had the TLC it should have. Blaming the design, given its track record, seems ludicrous.
 
Originally Posted by Exhaustgases
And the forest service grounded all the recip fire planes because of one of these ill designed planes.
One went down in Australia.
https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/01/...lane-crashes-in-australia-killing-three/

Here is the one that started it all years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A4QZAxrb28


C130's do not have recip engines, they are powered by 4 turboprop engines. They are not "ill designed." They are right up there with the best and most versatile planes ever designed, having been proven over and over again in rigorous military service over more than 60 years.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=7lrfdzU8k4k
 
Pretty much what I thought .

Are the air frames on some of them , reaching the end of their useful life ? I have no idea .
 
Fire tanker s are dangerous duty. We can't blame the plane until we know the facts . I will say and I am not an expert though the plane definitely lacked the safety feature of altitude.
 
Originally Posted by Exhaustgases
And the forest service grounded all the recip fire planes because of one of these ill designed planes.
One went down in Australia.
https://www.wweek.com/news/2020/01/...lane-crashes-in-australia-killing-three/

Here is the one that started it all years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-A4QZAxrb28


1) Aerial firefighting is among the most hazardous flying that is done by civilians.

2) When the load is suddenly dumped, and the controls held in position, it can cause structural failure in the same way as full control deflection at high speed can. (Without going into too much detail, there is a g limit that can be exceeded when this occurs)

3) Planes are routinely inspected and parts that are corroded or past their lifespan are replaced. That said, historically there have been failures in this process.

This is not a reciprocating nor ill designed airplane.
 
The C-130 is a great aircraft. Flew on many of them in the military, jumped out of many as a paratrooper, and thanked the good Lord for their support in Vietnam.
 
While working at the Pacific Air Forces Headquarters in Hawaii in a fighter section I asked everybody in the office (all with fighter backgrounds except, arguably, the 2 F-111 guys) to write down the greatest Air Force plane ever made. No restrictions, no conditions. 4 of the 5 guys (including me) wrote C-130. The one who didn't wrote F-111 and was soundly ridiculed by the 4 others.
You look at the variety of missions spanning from gunship to hurricane hunter, tanker to rescue aircraft, tactical airlift to drop platform, the longevity of service, etc. etc., it's the obvious choice. Amazing platform.
 
The C130 is a fine, tried and true aircraft
I have flown on many of them.
Just because one or two have a problem, could be mechanical or operator error, does not make them bad
They have been tested in many harsh situations and do really well.
If I have one complaint, they are loud and slow. I guess that is two complaints.
But man, they can get in and out of very tight and short runways.
I like them
 
RIP, brave airman all.
https://fireaviation.com/


T-134_Medford_Tankers_7-27-2019_TimCrippin_-2-1024x683.jpg
 
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Its not the first time we have lost a crew flying a Fire Bomber C130 because of corrosion developing at the wing and fuselage junction due to incomplete maintenance...
 
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Originally Posted by BusyLittleShop
Its not the first time we have lost a crew flying a Fire Bomber C130 because of corrosion developing at the wing and fuselage junction due to incomplete maintenance...



If I remember correctly that plane also had the original "A" model wing boxes. At the time of that crash the US military had retired or updated all of its C-130s.
 
Originally Posted by tom slick
Originally Posted by BusyLittleShop
Its not the first time we have lost a crew flying a Fire Bomber C130 because of corrosion developing at the wing and fuselage junction due to incomplete maintenance...



If I remember correctly that plane also had the original "A" model wing boxes. At the time of that crash the US military had retired or updated all of its C-130s.




I believe you're right about original A model... meanwhile Farnborough 2018 the new L100 loops... (frame 12:39)

(Pilot to passengers, look out your side window and note ground above and sky below, welcome to inverted flight.)
 
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Wildfires as intense as those occurring in Australia generate their own weather, including severe thunderstorms and even tornados. Flying any aircraft directly into a tornado, even one as stout as a C-130, will likely have catastrophic consequences.
 
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