Paratrooper Bulldozer

[mwilson]

Love this!!!

 

[jhenderson]

Think about trying to keep the pitch under control when that much weight moves aft.

 

[brucejohnson]

Think about trying to keep the pitch under control when that much weight moves aft.

Definitely gained a hunk of immediate altitude when that puppy rolled off the ramp.
Post flight debrief: Autopilot Altitude Hold failed to maintain set altitude. Stab trim abruptly changed directions. Love them C130s.

 

[SnoKing]

I loaded a fork lift in a C123 in Sattahip, Thailand to fly to Con Son, Island, South Vietnam during the war. They used 2250 feet of a 2300 foot Thai Navy runway to get off the ground. That C130 must have used a bit of runway to get airborne with the load.

42,000 load!

https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/1555054/c-130-hercules/

 

[Jim W]

You do notice that there is no ROPS on the tractor, the operator is expendable. The life of most air drop equipment was calculated to be between 50 and 100 hours of operation in a combat zone.

When I worked at Cat there was a separate engineering department for military equipment that Cat sold to the government. A lot of the safety equipment such as ROPS, (Roll Over Protected System) FOPS (Falling Objects Protected System), and OPS (Operator Protected Systems), systems were removed to meet the government contract. We had at one time or another Air drop 950 wheel loaders, D5 Track Type machines, Motor Graders + Wheel scrapers. These were all lighten up to meet the air force requirements for air drops by removing steel from the structures along with the ROPS, FOPS, and or OPS on these tractors. They were all painted military colors depending on which branch of the service they were to go to.

We did have some spectacular failures of tractors hitting the ground when the parachutes would not open or drop to close to the ground during testing.

 

[Tractorat]

We did have some spectacular failures of tractors hitting the ground when the parachutes would not open or drop to close to the ground during testing.

Parachutes ? I remember watching a 46 carrying an artillery piece underneath it from a cable. All of a sudden the cable (and piece) started to twirl. Then, I dont know if they cut it loose or if the cable just broke, but suddenly the helo went straight up into the air and the artillery piece went straight down into the river - kersplash !!!

 

[Bill Lins]

We did have some spectacular failures of tractors hitting the ground when the parachutes would not open or drop to close to the ground during testing.

Wouldn't happen to have access to any videos of that, woodja? ;-)

 

[brucejohnson]

Parachutes ? I remember watching a 46 carrying an artillery underneath it from a cable. All of a sudden the cable (and piece) started to twirl. Then, I dont know if they cut it loose or if the cable just broke, but suddenly the helo went straight up into the air and the artillery piece went straight down into the river - kersplash !!!

Water = soft-landing?
I can just feel the cyclic stick circling...roll, pitch, roll, pitch, roll...aw poonuggets! PITCH!! Up we go...collective correction!

 

[Jim W]

Wouldn't happen to have access to any videos of that, woodja? ;-)

NO, when I retired in 2009, most of what I had went onto the dumpsters that were placed around the office. Cat offered a mass buyout to any one who wanted to leave. Cat was downsizing and they offered a buyout to anyone with a year or more of service at Caterpillar. Since I was a forty year employee and only two years away from my retirement date, I took the buy out. I was also able to retain my insurance and retirement benefits, what Cat gave me was almost two years of my salary and my retirement benefits started the day I retired. Couldn't pass it up.

 

[Wayne M.]

I follow a UPS cargo pilot on twitter, She flies a 747-800. I asked her what her record payload is? Answer- 150 ton. I think that’s incredible to get these payloads flying through the air

 

[slowmover]

My son’s now an ex Herk bird driver. Amazing airplane. Wherever it seems man can go, there’s a Herk.

One of my favorite stories about my Dad (WWII pilot) was his flight to the North Slope just after the discovery was announced in 1968. Flew up in a civilian Herk with the biggest Cat bulldozer they could tie down.

Co-pilot looked back at him near flights end and said over the headset, “You know this is an old man’s airplane” (My Dad cocks an eyebrow). “Yup. Too much power. So when the skis touch and Mike hits the thrust reverser’s, there’s only so many chains holding back that dozer. We’ll be riding the lightning that happens”.

Dad usually let a pause develop right there . . “and the chains sang. They popped. They twanged. And they finally relaxed at the end of the longest sideways sliding landing I hope to ever experience”.

Great vid. Thx!

.

 

[Wiredawg]

Friends,

This happened when I was stationed at Pope AFB, NC. The pilot came in too high, instead of passing over, tried to complete the LAPES (low altitude parachute extraction system). he made correction that caused the aircraft to gain too much speed and hit the ground.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...4F199421F0669DD7AD784F199421F0669DD&FORM=VIRE

We had a similar extraction as the combat bulldozer, except the equipment got sideways in the aircraft. The giant chutes forced the plane down,

https://www.deseret.com/1989/8/10/18818956/c-130-crash-in-n-c-kills-1-injures-6

Flying is inherently dangerous and very unforgiving.

Sorry for add a sad note to this thread.

Ron

 

[slowmover]

There are no guarantees.

But I’d sure rather go out that way versus getting run over by a bus on a two-lane when in another state for crappy “corporate training”. Cross the road with some others for a few beers. Head back late, and . . .

Some endings are honorable despite criticisms.

Some are merely pathetic. A stupid waste where — in a decent society — such a thing never existed. Why? Because America is where one should own his own land or business.

And, once he did. It was quite an argument both before and after the Civil War as to whether it was right for one American to work for another.

Of course, that was in your history books way back when, wasn’t it?

Death in the service of others.

That, . .

that, we honor.

.

 

[jhenderson]

Friends,

This happened when I was stationed at Pope AFB, NC. The pilot came in too high, instead of passing over, tried to complete the LAPES (low altitude parachute extraction system). he made correction that caused the aircraft to gain too much speed and hit the ground.

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?...4F199421F0669DD7AD784F199421F0669DD&FORM=VIRE

We had a similar extraction as the combat bulldozer, except the equipment got sideways in the aircraft. The giant chutes forced the plane down,

https://www.deseret.com/1989/8/10/18818956/c-130-crash-in-n-c-kills-1-injures-6

Flying is inherently dangerous and very unforgiving.

Sorry for add a sad note to this thread.

Ron

When something bad happens during training people who know me often ask how that could happen? I simply tell them even though I do some off airport flying, what I consider risky they consider mundane. Military pilots practice every day, doing things I wouldn’t dream of doing unless my life depended on it. They realize the risk and do their job without complaint.

 

[BoeingDiesel]

Words of wisdom:
1971, Pennsacola, Fl.

“Lord knows we love the sky…after all, that's why we do what we do…isn't it? To you that have taken to escaping these earthly bonds be ever wary… for our lady, the sky, will lull you into her waiting arms and comfort you with her angelic beauty…but she is a fickle lover… patiently waiting for that one moment…for that moment of infidelity when she will rise up against you with a vengeance of a scorned lover… and send you back to that place from where you came…be ever diligent…respect her…never turn your back on her. ”

Words that I have never forgotten