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C-130 flaw


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How many older models does Canada have?

Worsening centre wing-box structure cracks have prompted the US Air Force to ground 30 of its oldest Lockheed MartinC-130E Hercules and put a further 60 aged examples of the transport on restricted flight status. Programme officials have not determined whether to address the problem or retire the grounded aircraft.

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I flew the E models in the late 60's and many of those are still in service. To the best of my knowledge we didn't get the H models. The first bunch of E's arrived around 1965.

The Canadian Hercs might be in a little better shape as the Yanks did fewer long range legs with them so presumably our aircraft have fewer cycles on them.

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I left the CF in '88 and we had E and H Models at that time.

The first Canadian Hercules (four CC-130Bs) entered service in 1960. The three survivors were traded in when 24 ’E models were bought between ’64 and ’67. The original 14 CC-130Hs began entering service in 1974. In 1987, the 22 remaining CC-130Es were upgraded with ’H- model engines and undercarriage components. Since then, the entire CF Hercules fleet has also undergone an extensive avionics upgrade/glass cockpits.

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Guest rattler

C-130 Hercules

F

Acquisition History:

Canadian Forces involvement with the Hercules began in the fall of 1960, when four C-130B aircraft were purchased by the Royal Canadian Air Force, and designated the CC-130. One of these was lost in a crash-landing in April 1966, while the remaining three were sold back to Lockheed in July 1967. Subsequently, 24 ‘E’-model Hercules were purchased by the Canadian military between 1964 and 1968 (five of these have been lost in crashes, and the other 19 are still in service).

CC-130 Hercules Between 1975 and 1996, a total of 16 ‘H’-model Hercules was purchased for the Canadian Forces. These represented a number of different sub-models, including five aircraft with an additional configuration for air-to-air refueling (KC-130, in American terminology) that were acquired in 1991. The most recent Hercs to join the CF inventory were a pair of stretched-fuselage CC-130H-30 aircraft, purchased in June 1996. (Of these 16 ‘H’ models, three have been lost in accidents).

Currently [November 2004], the air force has a total of 32 CC-130s, operated by five operational squadrons (435 Sqn. – Winnipeg, MB; 424, 429, and 436 Sqns. – Trenton, ON; 413 Sqn. – Greenwood, NS) and one training squadron (426 Sqn – Trenton). These aircraft carry out a wide range of missions including troop transport, tactical airlift (including palletized or vehicular cargo), search and rescue, air-to-air refueling, and aircrew training/qualification for this aircraft type.

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  • 17 years later...

Air Force grounds most of its C-130H fleet due to propeller problem

Nicholas Slayton - Yesterday 12:27 p.m.
 
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The U.S. Air Force has stopped flights of more than 100 of its workhorse cargo plane, citing a need to fix defective propeller barrel assemblies. If not fixed, the issue could crack propellers and endanger planes and crew.

U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tan Pham, 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron acting lead production superintendent, performs a preflight check on an EC-130H Compass Call at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 17, 2022. (Staff Sgt. Kristine Legate/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Tan Pham, 755th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron acting lead production superintendent, performs a preflight check on an EC-130H Compass Call at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, Aug. 17, 2022. (Staff Sgt. Kristine Legate/U.S. Air Force)© Provided by Task & Purpose

USAF Air Mobility Command confirmed to Task & Purpose that 116 planes, most of C-130Hs including variants, are grounded. Air Mobility Command has 128 C-130H planes. Following an engine run check at Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, airmen found a leak in one of the propellers. 

“When the propeller assembly was removed and turned into the WR-ALC Prop Shop, a technician noted a crack in the propeller barrel assembly. Upon subsequent inspections, two additional propeller assemblies were discovered with the same issue,” Air Mobility Command said in a statement to Task & Purpose. “These discoveries drove the first safety time compliance technical order (TCTO) to conduct a field level visual inspection on all C-130H model aircraft with the 54H60 props installed. After additional review, including metallurgical and detailed stress analysis, the command released an immediate-action TCTO directing replacement of a variety of specific suspect propellers.”

 

The issue is specific to planes with 54H60 propellers. A cracked propeller barrel assembly presents “significant risk” for planes in flight, USAF said. The grounding order does not impact C-130H aircraft that have the newer NP2000 propeller assembly, nor the Air Force’s C-130J models. It is not immediately clear how this will impact Air Mobility Command’s operations.

 
 

Related video: U.S Air Force grounds C-130H Hercules over cracked propeller barrels | Yet another safety worryded: 19.9iew on Watch 

 

The Air Force has ordered the pieces be replaced with newer NP2000 propeller assemblies to avoid any safety risks. However, the “time to resolution” isn't clear, but Air Mobility Command said that USAF is aggressively working to get the aircraft operations restarted. Several dozen C-130Hs has a similar issue in 2019, which resulted in a brief grounding as well. 

The news was first shared on an unofficial Air Force Facebook page, with a user posting a screenshot of a time compliance technical order for the planes, which mentioned grounding them. 

Aircraft require ongoing maintenance and inspection in order to stay flight ready. The Air Force so often finds issues in need of repairs on its aircraft that a “black letter” maintenance report — so called because there are no issues written on it in red ink — is “super rare.” 

The defective propeller barrel assembly with the C-130H fleet is the latest issue with the service’s aircrafts. In August, Air Force Special Operations Command grounded its fleet of V-22 Ospreys due to a hard clutch engagement problem; they were cleared for flight in September, but the problem was given a workaround, not fully fixed. 

David Roza contributed to this article. 

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