It is a giant 4-prop airplane that carries very heavy things. Following the Carter-era Iran hostage rescue mission failure, the U.S.A.F. started a project nicknamed 'Credible Sport' to develop a C-130 that could land on a soccer field and take off from it.
The team had nine C-130 airplanes at its disposal and one workable prototype at the time working with Congress for six more when their prototype crashed spectacularly. Reagan was elected, the hostage situation resolved, and congressional support for the project evaporated. The plane never could land and take off within a soccer stadium. Whereas this program failed another similar program succeeded. The article ends on an uplifting note, "But the failure of Eagle Claw [the earlier aborted hostage rescue attempt] inspired the development of other long-range aircraft that can [land/take off within soccer stadium], specifically the tilt rotor V-22 Osprey. Without rockets, of course."
Medium.com
The video is linked in Ace of Spade's sidebar amusingly, "This Rocket Powered C-130 is the most badass BadAss in the history of Bad Ass.
8 comments:
A close friend, elderly gentleman now, flew C-130 planes in the Navy. All top secret dontcyaknow. He'd tell me what they were up to, but he'd have to kill me. Typical pilot personality, and I mean typical. They ARE a type. Part of their training must be the belief they can walk through walls.
At his house, his business partner handed me a large flat wrapped box. It was light. He said, "This is a birthday present for Bob. Guess what it is."
I gave the box a single quick shake and felt its contents shift inside exactly as the contents of a box that contained a plastic model of U.S. Constitution that I put together years earlier. The box felt exactly like a model boat. But Bob would have no interest in a model boat. He would, however, have interest in an airplane, specifically...
"It's a plastic model of a C-130"
His jaw hit the floor.
But honestly, logically what else could it have been?
The best airplane ever built to jump out of.
I love military aircraft. All of it. The big, the small, the stealth.
I love the sound of those jet engines. I stand in awe of the technology.
I worked on Herkies for 16 years. Great airplane.
Report: US military no longer able to fight 2 wars at same time
I remember those four engines being quieter than the two engine C-123.
A big Osprey.
Dad Bones said...
I remember those four engines being quieter than the two engine C-123.
Fun fact - the 123 and its little brother, the C-122, both started life as gliders at the end of WWII.
Actual reverse thrust is rare. Normally you just flatten the propellers to zero pitch, or throw jet exhaust sideways, to bring a large amount of still air up the speed of the airplane, which produces a lot of drag.
Just as riding a bicycle in a strong crosswind is very slow. You're bringing a lot of new air up to the speed of the bicycle in a crosswind, even though it's not a headwind.
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