1960s Aviation ·
Aviation History ·
C-130 Hercules ·
Carrier Aviation ·
Distinguished Flying Cross ·
US Navy ·
USAF ·
USS Forrestal ·
A C-130 Lands on an Aircraft Carrier!
On October 30, 1963, Lt. James Flately managed to put a 121 thousand pound 4-engined C-130 Hercules on the deck of the USS Forrestal!
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The Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed that is capable of utilizing unprepared runways for takeoff and landing. She was originally designed as a troop, medevac, and cargo transport aircraft, but her versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including serving as a tactical airlifter for multiple military forces worldwide, a gunship (AC-130) for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refuelling, maritime patrol, aerial firefighting, and a dependable Hurricane Hunter.
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Lovingly called the Four Fan Trash Can, The Vibrator, Bugsmasher, Bleed Air Blimp, HerkyBird, and Spooky, the C-130 has been credited with "Delivering you to the most awful places in the world since 1954."
At first, when looking over his new assignment…Lt. James H. Flatley thought it was a joke, but as it turned out, it was a serious matter, coming directly from the Department of the Navy which ordered a feasibility study to find out whether they could utilize the massive C-130 Hercules as a “Super COD” (Carrier Onboard Delivery Aircraft)
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In preparation for the upcoming test, the US Navy accepted a KC-130F on loan from the Marine Corps, where they modified the nose landing gear, anti-skid braking system, and removal of the underwing refuelling pods.
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On October 30th, 1963, Lt. Flatley and his crew took their KC-130F and achieved the unthinkable…successfully landing the 4 engined behemoth on the USS Forrestal (CVA-59), then proceeding to perform 29 touch-and-go landings, 21 unarrested full-stop landings, and 21 unassisted takeoffs at weights ranging from 85,000 pounds up to 121,000 pounds.
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The test revealed that the C-130 could lift 25,000 pounds of cargo and transport it over 2,500 miles and land safely on carriers around the world, and even though the results indicated a complete success, in the end, the Navy considered it too risky given the confined deck space, and the mammoth size of the Herky bird so they defaulted to the smaller yet already proven Grumman C-1 Trader COD.
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Lt. Flatley received the Distinguished Flying Cross for his role in this unprecidented and never repeated mission.
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