C-130 with only two engines??

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Yeah, I don't remember the vertical stab being swept back but I was also looking more at the wings trying to tell if I was really only seeing two engines.

[johndh1 0]

If you saw it from a distance and angle, could you have mistaken an Antonov AN-32? One is based at Hurlburt Field in the Panhandle, it used to come into Pell City quite frequently, and I know it flies all around the surrounding states. When it was coming into PLR they were flying blacked out with some night vision equipment. I went all through it, totally awesome airplane, and yes, tailgate. It's Russian built, I believe, and has amazing short- and rough-field takeoff capability.

Roll Tide Roll

[Jazzthieve 0]

If you'd strip a c-130 of two engines, it would look exactly like a C-160.

[billvon 3,070]

The C123BK looks like a C130 with two engines but actually has four. The two "fuel tanks" on the wings are very early generation jet engines. Loudest things you've ever heard in your life.

[BillyVance 34]

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The C123BK looks like a C130 with two engines but actually has four. The two "fuel tanks" on the wings are very early generation jet engines. Loudest things you've ever heard in your life.

Has the owner of the C123 that flew for Eloy, removed it from service to jumpers?

I'd guess if I had a chance to jump it, I'd need ear-plugs. I'm fucking deaf, I just don't want to be completely fucking deaf!

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[bfilarsky 0]

If its ugly, its British. If its weird, its French. If its ugly and weird, its Russian.

[2cmyzx 0]

could it be a C-7 Caribou

[MikeJD 0]

Wow. That plane is two engines and not a lot else!

[MikeJD 0]

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Has the owner of the C123 that flew for Eloy, removed it from service to jumpers?

I'd guess if I had a chance to jump it, I'd need ear-plugs.

I certainly wore ear plugs when I did.

I wonder if that was the same aircraft that was used for [url "http://www.oldwings.nl/content/con_air/con_air.htm"Con Air[/url]. Anybody know?

[Glitch 0]

You may very well be correct. The Knights had em back in the 80's. Nice to jump from, but a bit slow on the climb to altitude. I even have an 'emergency exit' logged, from one in '86.

...of course, it could also be a C-123.

Randomly f'n thingies up since before I was born...

[MikeJD 0]

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If its ugly, its British.

Ahem...

Granted, it's been a while - but there have been some very pretty British aircraft. If you want a slightly more recent example, the (ill fated) TSR2 was a looker, in my opinion.

[zoobrothertom 5]

I made my first jump at Ft. Benning from it. It had two j-47(?) jets on it. That was in 1982.

____________________________________
I'm back in the USA!!

[Gary73 10]

Back around 1985 Lockheed looked into manufacturing a two-engine version of the C-130 Hercules, called the Twin Herc, I think. Unfortunately, they couldn't drum up enough customers, so the project was dropped. Not that it would have helped us; even a Twin Herc's fuel burn and maintenance cost would be out of our reach. Oh well.

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." - Carl Sagan

[jumpoutnow 0]

Spence, I would say it was a CASA CN-235. Based out of Pope AFB in North Carolina. Probably here in GA on Special Ops. Cool Airplane.

People are crazy. Cuz there's more of 'em.

[madhatter 0]

Perhaps a C-160 Transall?

A VERY MERRY UNBIRTHDAY TO YOU!!!
D.S # 125

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Damn, and there is another that it could have been. I wish I knew what it was and if it was privately owned.

[JohnMitchell 16]

I didn't know the U.S. Airforce had any G-222 or C-27's. Valinda and I made several jumps out of the back of the "Gee" at the 2008 Thai Boogie. It was nice, but I liked the C-130 better.

I know, spoiled rotten I am.

[hangdiver 1]

I jumped the C-123k at Eloy in the mid 90's also.
I remember sitting in the Bent Prop next to the owner/pilot having a drink and him lamenting about smoking a jet engine that was going to cost him $20,000 just to get the plane out of Eloy. I don't think he made any money off that little venture.

I don't remember his name but it might have been Ray Petkow as I do remember him mentioning the Con Air movie.

HERE and HERE are some links to info on the plane used in Con Air.

"Mans got to know his limitations"
Harry Callahan

[DavidB 0]

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could it be a C-7 Caribou

At first I dismissed this entirely. The plane I saw was a turbo-prop & the C-7's I jumped in the later 80's/early 90's @ Herd Boogies were all piston engines (& LOUD). Now I'm wondering if a C-7 could/would be fitted with turbines...? Certainly seems this or the C-160 is what I saw.

When the only tool you have is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

The plane I saw was not a Caribou. There is one flying in Fla. with turbo props on it. They had it at Z-hills a while back.

[377 22]

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Expect to be looking for about half the load to land off. The drop area for either of those planes is about 1/2 mile long.

is that all?

I load mastered the CARVAIR at the WFFC. 2 passes of 55-60 jumpers each. And as far as I know, the only ones that landed off were the individual jumpers in the last groups, that tracked hard, THE WRONG WAY.

Maybe they should have had you on hand for all the special plane loads. In '06 they were putting jumpers out on the other side of I-57 with the DC-9. I know cause I was one of 'em.


What Spence really needs is an AN-2.

It really sucked that I couldn't make it there in '06. I would have happily called the exit on the '9!

One particular Carvair jump I remember really well. 1 person landed off, but just barely. On the outside of the fence at the end of the runway. I know this really well, because that jumper was ME! 1st pass was fine. Circled around, second pass went off without a glitch. Walked up front to check in with the other LM (Captn Happy) that was relaying my messages to the cabin. Walked back to the door, and out I went. No wingsuit, so i just used the entire jump to track back towards the LZ. Damn near made it too!

We were all soooo lucky to get to jump that Carvair at WFFC. On May 30, 2007 the only other airworthy Carvair crashed in AK, on its first revenue flight after a total rebuild. It encountered a downdraft on approach to the mining company airfield at Nixon Fork and undershot into some rocks. It ended up in pieces but miraculously the crew all survived.

http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=20070530-0

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.oldwings.nl/content/n898at/wing_sm.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.oldwings.nl/content/n898at/n898at.htm&usg=__SeFs63dgg-NPvm4e32s5FV_kbTY=&h=188&w=250&sz=11&hl=en&start=15&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=fYf5Jm5Z3-Q0HM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=111&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcarvair%2Bcrash%2Bat%2Bnixon%2Bfork%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4GGLL_enUS351US351%26tbs%3Disch:1

Fat Annie, the WFFC Carvair, remains inactive at Sherman TX. I was hoping it would see some flying doing relief work into Haiti, but I think she is still sitting dormant. Rumors are that the operator who lost the other Cravair in AK wants to buy Fat Annie and bring her to AK, That's where our C 54G from WFFC 1999 (or was it 2000?) went. A Carvair is a modified C54/DC 4. There is a dormant Carvair in South Africa is good shape and maybe it will fly again some day.

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.surfacezero.com/g503/data/576/MG_1888m_800_copy.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php%3Fp%3D309644%26sid%3D8d4effd783d6864033f7603ad119070e&usg=__NSv1S-yFq_CJSUof09lX7aXwm_Y=&h=533&w=800&sz=363&hl=en&start=4&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=zmnIGrHSgao3CM:&tbnh=95&tbnw=143&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dcarvair%2Bsouth%2Bafrica%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GGLL_enUS351US351%26tbs%3Disch:1

I love jumping from old propliners. The Carvair is probably the rarest big radial engined jumpship I'll ever log.

That C 123K that used to fly jumpers in AZ is owned by Jim Blumenthal who also owned and piloted the C 54G that came to Quincy and is now in AK. Jim told me that the C 123 makes good money hauling test drop loads for military contractors. He just can't make that kind of money hauling skydivers. If he uses the aux turbojets to supplement the R 2800 radial engines, the fuel burn goes sky high on the C 123. He got into a big hassle with his insurors over the use of his C 54 for jumping at Quincy and I doubt if he will haul sport jumpers again.

If you want to see a lot of C 123 footage rent the movie Con Air. I think the movie Air America had quite a bit of C 123 footage as well.

Can you tell I like old propliners?

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[CSpenceFLY 1]

There used to be one in Lagrange,Ga.

[377 22]

There were two in GA. One was Fat Annie in different colors and the other crashed on TO killing all the crew. They lost an engine during the TO run, tried to abort the TO, but went off the end and into a building.

There is a GREAT but pricey book out just about Carvairs. Very detailed history of each plane.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Atl-98-Carvair/William-Patrick-Dean/e/9780786436705

377

2018 marks half a century as a skydiver. Trained by the late Perry Stevens D-51 in 1968.

[RevJim 0]

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There were two in GA. One was Fat Annie in different colors and the other crashed on TO killing all the crew. They lost an engine during the TO run, tried to abort the TO, but went off the end and into a building.

There is a GREAT but pricey book out just about Carvairs. Very detailed history of each plane.

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Atl-98-Carvair/William-Patrick-Dean/e/9780786436705

377

I'll be! I think that's the guy that was there when I was giving the exit calls! He went on a few flights while dropping, took a crap load of pictures, and asked a huge amount of questions of the owner that was flying (though to this day I don't think he should have been flying it. No idea how he maintained his medical.)

I may have to look into that book.

It's your life, live it!
Karma
RB#684 "Corcho", ASK#60, Muff#3520, NCB#398, NHDZ#4, C-33989, DG#1

[CSpenceFLY 1]

Man, I watched that thing take off and knew I was not getting on it.