FROM THE ENGINEERS DESK August 23 1954 – First flight of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules Who wanted to build a stubby turboprop cargo aircraft at the dawn of the jet age? It was 1951, and the U.S. Air Force was seeking designs for an aircraft capable of hauling large bulky equipment, including artillery pieces and tanks, over long distances. It had to land in tight spaces, slow to 125 knots for paratroop drops, and fly, if need be, with one engine. What the Air Force wanted, in other words, was a tough, versatile heavylifter with plenty of “trunk” space. Hall Hibbard, Lockheed’s chief engineer, eyed the request and saw potential. Design genius Kelly Johnson, by contrast, viewed it as a potential disaster, a diversion from the high-speed, high-performance jet fighters that were his focus. “If you send that in,” Johnson told his boss, Hibbard, referring to an early proposal for the aircraft, “you’ll destroy the Lockheed Company.” It’s a good thing Hibbard didn’t listen. When the prototype YC-130 taxied for its inaugural flight on Aug. 23, 1954, it was clear to all—even Johnson— that the Lockheed engineers had forged something timeless out of a seemingly simple list of Air Force requirements. Later officially nicknamed Hercules, the prototype had a cargo deck that was capable of carrying an astonishing 300 pounds per square foot, lifted into the air after a ground roll of a mere 855 feet, an astoundingly short distance considering most aircraft of that size required 5,000 feet. The creation of the C-130 Hercules came about largely as a result of America’s experience in the Korean War. U.S. forces fighting along the 38th parallel dividing North and South Korea quickly discovered that their aerial transports were ill-equipped for the missions at hand. Some were too heavy. Some needed longer runways for takeoffs and landings. Others had weight restrictions, which prevented them from transporting bulky supplies or large numbers of soldiers. What the U.S. military needed was a single versatile aircraft that could be used for any and all transportation needs—one aircraft that would perform the role of many. Which is precisely what Lockheed’s Hercules accomplished. With a sweeping array of 23 cockpit windows allowing for clear visibility on steep approaches and high wings to operate from rough fields, the original C-130 Hercules was the antithesis of the sleek, speedy jets of its day. It had a low center of gravity, reached 360 mph, and boasted a large, easily accessible cargo area that could carry 40,000 pounds. But it was a key design element—instituted by a team that included Art Flock, Dick Pulver, Bill Statler, Gene Frost, and chief designer Willis Hawkins—that may have proven most useful for its longevity. The inclusion of four turboprop engines provided surplus power to pressurize the fuselage of the plane, including the cargo compartment, which was necessary to fly efficiently at higher altitudes. The strengthening of the airframe to accommodate pressurization added an extra layer of durability that eventually protected the plane for its unprecedented six decades – and counting – of military and humanitarian service. Throughout the more than 70 variants and more than 2,400 aircraft, the Hercules has more than proven its worth. There is quite literally a Hercules airborne somewhere in the world every minute of every day. Source: Lockheed Martin lockheedmartin/us/100years/stories/hercules.html r/Jose
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 13:00:01 +0000