The USAF operates several dozen Lockheed Hercules MC-130J Commando II aircraft, to transport special forces to and from their operations, refuel associated aircraft in mid-air, and other tasks outside the normal transport function.
Recently a formation of four MC-130J's made several passes through the Mach Loop in Britain, a well-known plane-spotting area where military aircraft of all types practice low-level penetration of enemy airspace. Courtesy of The Aviationist, here it is.
The pilots were clearly enjoying themselves, but I can't help wonder how difficult it was to fly that low. A big transport reacts a lot more slowly than a nimble jet fighter or strike aircraft. If they were a split-second late in responding to the aircraft's movements, it would be all too easy to fly the plane into the ground - not the sort of landing from which one can walk away!
Peter
I was driving across Northern New Mexico just after sunset when a B-1 made a low pass over I-40, then pulled into a knife edge turn (that's when I recognized the shape of the B-1) Obviously practicing low level interdiction. It did startle me; however, I wasn't expecting to have to (seemingly) avoid hitting an aircraft.
ReplyDeleteYankin' and bankin'... Fun day at the office. :-)
ReplyDeleteHoly shhhhhhhhh………!
ReplyDeleteI miss watching the OV-10s, A-7s and A-10s playing over the surf off of Patrick AFB in Florida. Amazing watching airline pilots in A-7s outfly A-10 pilots.
ReplyDeleteBeen there done that. 1996,1997 RAF Hercules CMK3 (single ship only though)
ReplyDeleteActually, the agility of the Herky birds is legendary; the ANG pilots doing brushfire retardant dump demos in the 1960s proved that at annual SoCal airshows that I saw many times.
ReplyDeleteThey don't have fighter agility, to be sure, but those big turboprops have the torque down low to do some unreal maneuvers as a matter of course.