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C-130 Hercules reaches milestone over Iraq

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Ben Miller
  • 386th Expeditionary Maintenance Group
SOUTHWEST ASIA --  Thirty thousand hours. That's a big number, especially when talking about aircraft flying hours. Most military aircraft are retired long before reaching such a milestone, but some of the oldest C-130 Hercules in the fleet are reaching and exceeding this number while flying daily combat airlift sorties here in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.
On Nov. 23, aircraft 63-7883, deployed to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, achieved this important landmark.

"If it weren't for the hard work and dedication of the young Airmen I work with every day, reaching a target like this would be impossible," said Staff Sgt. Andrea McCreary, the 386th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron crew chief for the aircraft.

The aircraft landed with zero defects and 30,002.5 miles on it after its milestone flight.

So just what does 30,000 hours represent? At 250 knots, this C-130 could have circled the earth more than 350 times. It will also have moved hundreds of thousands of passengers and millions of pounds of cargo. The early C-130s were built during the early days of the Vietnam War, and have proudly served in every major conflict since.

"When flying aircraft every day which are older than most of the crew members, it's a real pleasure to fly such a clean and well-maintained example," said Master Sgt. Steve Vaughn, 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron flight engineer, of aircraft 63-7883.

Reaching such a milestone is a bittersweet moment for the hardworking crew of maintainers whose blood and sweat keeps these vintage airplanes flying. It will be the last such milestone for the majority of these aircraft, which are destined to retire to the "boneyard" soon after returning from this combat deployment, which is their final.

The long running success of the C-130 is reflected by the still-active production line, and the brand new C-130Js being delivered today. For the Airmen, Sailors, Soldiers and Marines who fly into and out of combat zones on them every day, the C-130 Hercules will continue to be a welcome sight and a reliable friend long into the future.