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Kelly Johnson made few mistakes as Lockheed's star engineer, but he made a beaut when he offered his opinion of the original C-130. "Hibbard, if you sign that letter," Johnson said, pointing to the cover sheet that was to accompany Lockheed's C-130 prototype proposal to the U.S. Air Force, "you will destroy Lockheed." He thought the Hercules, which had all the style and grace of a road grader, was so ugly that the company wouldn't sell enough to recoup its considerable development expenses.
Report of the trial landings on Forrestal. It answers one question I always had. Landing weights were steadily increased from 85,000lbs to 121,000lbs.One of my favorite stories regarding the Hercules. These photos are real, not photoshopped. A Herc demonstrated that it was indeed possible to land on an aircraft carrier, but the navy decided not to put the idea into regular practice.
I loved those things. I made most of my jumps out of C-130s during my years in the 82nd. Abn. Division. Always stable, nice, easy jumps. The C-141s were okay, but the C-130s were just nice. Did lots of air-lands, too. My favorite bird of that era. "Stable" is the best word I can come up with, regarding the Herky-bird.
I loved those things. I made most of my jumps out of C-130s during my years in the 82nd. Abn. Division. Always stable, nice, easy jumps. The C-141s were okay, but the C-130s were just nice. Did lots of air-lands, too. My favorite bird of that era. "Stable" is the best word I can come up with, regarding the Herky-bird.
Jumping was fun. when you're still young enough to rebound from the work involved, plus, it goes with the job of being an 11C-1P. Hard to be an Airborne Mortar Maggot if you don't jump out of aircraft.I hated flying in the damn things. Uncomfortable as hell, loud, and hot. Plus I see zero point in jumping out of a perfectly good flying aircraft.
Jumping was fun. when you're still young enough to rebound from the work involved, plus, it goes with the job of being an 11C-1P. Hard to be an Airborne Mortar Maggot if you don't jump out of aircraft.
My FIRST jump was out of a C-123, perhaps the last one in USAF inventory at the time, and that was definitely NOT a perfectly good flying aircraft. I was delighted to get out of that crapfest of parts disguised as an aircraft. I don't know if the 123 was the last one in inventory or not, but that's what they said at the airfield on Ft. Benning. They might have been blowing smoke, for all I know. Jumping out of Hueys and Chinooks is pretty good fun, too. We used to do that on the weekends.
It's fun stuff for the youngsters, no doubt about that.
Parachute guys carry a spare parachute when they go up. Do we airplane guys carry a spare airplane when we go up? No. That says it all.More power to you. I'll stick to flying/crewing the things
No. But sometimes the aircraft takes its own parachute along for the ride.Parachute guys carry a spare parachute when they go up. Do we airplane guys carry a spare airplane when we go up? No. That says it all.
Don't all people that actually really do, or do a lot, make statistically more mistakes?Kelly Johnson had a lot of lapses of judgement:
1 XP-80 inlet collapse
2 P-38 compressibility issues (which I believe was due to a poor center pod design, combined with the thick inboard wing airfoil)
3 XF-90
4 F-104 downward firing ejection seat
5 CL-400 Suntan (until he finally cancelled it)
6 M-21/D-21 launch
7 CL-204 Lancer (Col. Boyd claims that CLJ tried to bribe him)
8 Unwillingness to accept the Have Blue design (which led to my friend Dick Scherrer having a stroke)