C-130 J crew

[bertengineer]

I am doing a research paper for ERAU and would like to get any information on the reasoning behind the removal of the flight engineer from the C-130 J.
I am not trying to slam anyone...just get my GRP done on a subject that I know a bit about. I was a FE for the USMC on the C-130 F/R/T

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

[email protected]

 

[Rolling-Thunder]

Do a search over at this web-site, as it has been a hot topic in the past.


http://pub33.ezboard.com/bc130herculesheadquarters

 

[slacker]

Flight Eng on a J model

There's really nothing for a flight engineer or navigator to do on a C-130J. The J model only looks like a C-130, it's guts are very different. All of the systems and that the engineer monitored are now automated. It's the same as in commercial aircraft. Same thing with the Nav. The box handles it all. It's a great airplane and a lot of fun to fly.

PM me if you want more specifics. We have a former marine C-130 pilot in our unit. He might even be in you avatar.

 

[RichO]

C-130

The last true 130 was the H-3.....the J is a different beast..............

 

[YeOldeProp]

The newest way to describe the J-model is that it's a pretty cool video game. But the logistics can be a pain in the backside. The loadmaster always shows an hour prior to pilots. He's there to load a pallet full of quarters into pallet position #1. He then gives a bag of quarters (and their box lunches) to the pilots when they show at the aircraft. The pilots proceed to take turns putting a quarter in the little slot on the dash next to the fancy screens...and that makes the J-model work for 5 minutes. So, one pilot loads the computers that tell the aircraft what to fly (and the airplane computers do most of the flying), while the other pilot is responsible for keeping the quarters flowing into the machine to keep it airborne.

The Loadmaster's there to keep the pilots awake so they can feed the machine the two-bits at a regular pace. But, due to the technology from the timeframe that the J-model was developed (and the strict military aquisition regulations in place at the time), the contract on the J-model allows it to only accepts the old style quarters, not any of the new quarters with the various State's represented on the back. A modification has been submitted to Lockheed for approval (at an obnoxious price). Change 1 to come...

Kinda takes the fun out of the old Herk legacy of just being "five crewdogs on a continuous pub crawl". A "threesome of crewdogs" just isn't a pretty picture...in any airframe.

Just an old fart's observation, pontification, procrastination and joke infestation...