SSdoxie
Elite Member
I'm sure he radioed the C130 pilot (whatever you do, don't slow down) :laughing:I'm actually curious if the C-130 pilot knew the jet jockey was that close...
I'm sure he radioed the C130 pilot (whatever you do, don't slow down) :laughing:I'm actually curious if the C-130 pilot knew the jet jockey was that close...
I'm actually curious if the C-130 pilot knew the jet jockey was that close...
Was he really that close or is it an affect of telephoto lens? Those two shots look like they are zoomed in. The video linked above never shows him that close.
As noted in the video the RAF refuels off C130's all that time. So does our USMC, I worked on F-4's and F-18's and punching a tanker was pretty routine stuff. The pilots said the hard part wasn't in getting close but in flying slow, c130 is a turbo prop, and staying steady so you didn't have your refuel nozzle slip out of the basket or worse, rip the hose and possibly have it go down one of your engine intakes.
IIRC, the video said they used a C130-J. That plane's speed was a surprise to me. Right up there with WWII fighter planes.
From:
Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Performance
Maximum speed: 362 knots (417 mph, 671 km/h)
Cruise speed: 348 knots (400 mph, 643 km/h)
Which seems fast until you have to go very far in one. When I was stationed in the Los Angeles area we went to Puerto Rico for a deployment. About 7 hrs in a KC10 on the way down, two days in a C130 on the way back![]()