Landing a Hercules on a beach
Discussion
A friend of mine is well known for telling tall tales however you come out with such an unbelievable one today I had to even question myself. He informs me that the SAS use Hercules transport planes and land them on beaches in Wales on exercise. Apparently they Land them so that hard they have to be taken apart and removed by Lorries. I pointed out wouldn’t they just landed and gently and turn around and take off again he said no way can anybody advise please. Even for him I think that’s a tall tale
mr alan said:
A friend of mine is well known for telling tall tales however you come out with such an unbelievable one today I had to even question myself. He informs me that the SAS use Hercules transport planes and land them on beaches in Wales on exercise. Apparently they Land them so that hard they have to be taken apart and removed by Lorries. I pointed out wouldn’t they just landed and gently and turn around and take off again he said no way can anybody advise please. Even for him I think that’s a tall tale
Routine exercise at MOD Pendine? https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=raf+hercules+pen...There may have been incidents with aircraft needing recovery. A C130 is a big unit and I'm sure would need moderate dismantling for a road move.
In my time there were a number of Trials done at Pendine Sands by bothe STS (Support Training Sqn) and 47(SF)Sqn using C-130K.
AIUI there have subsequently been beach landings there using C-130J.
AFAIK at no stage was an aircraft severely damaged. Compacted wet sand is more like tarmac/concrete and less damaging than loose dry sand and we did plenty of landing on that.
AIUI there have subsequently been beach landings there using C-130J.
AFAIK at no stage was an aircraft severely damaged. Compacted wet sand is more like tarmac/concrete and less damaging than loose dry sand and we did plenty of landing on that.
I worked on RAF c130j hercs for 3 years one of my jobs used to be strip landing prep (fields beaches etc).
This involved believe it or not taping foam around all of the lower antenna and removing the bottom anti collision light and applying metal tape accross the hole left behind.
There have been instances of aircraft having mishaps and needing to be repaired but n a beach (right pain in the ass) but I don’t know of one where they have had to strip it to repair it.
I have photos somewhere of one that landed in a field doing training and hit some metal hidden in the grass with the port undercarriage. This caused the tire to delaminate and destroyed a lot of the port aft section. Underaridge, wiring, apu and power/control circuits. Damaged the port aft door. Underaridge doors.
It was a right mess and took two weeks of work just to get it to the state where it was flown at slow speed with the undercarriage chained/locked in the down position to get it back to Brize norton where it was put in a deep strip hanger and repaired.
This involved believe it or not taping foam around all of the lower antenna and removing the bottom anti collision light and applying metal tape accross the hole left behind.
There have been instances of aircraft having mishaps and needing to be repaired but n a beach (right pain in the ass) but I don’t know of one where they have had to strip it to repair it.
I have photos somewhere of one that landed in a field doing training and hit some metal hidden in the grass with the port undercarriage. This caused the tire to delaminate and destroyed a lot of the port aft section. Underaridge, wiring, apu and power/control circuits. Damaged the port aft door. Underaridge doors.
It was a right mess and took two weeks of work just to get it to the state where it was flown at slow speed with the undercarriage chained/locked in the down position to get it back to Brize norton where it was put in a deep strip hanger and repaired.
MonkeyHanger said:
Best they quit that nonsense! I'm racing (a MTB) on Pembrey sands in three weeks. It's mad how hard packed the sand is there, 300 or more bicycles doing three laps each, and there's barely a tyre track to be seen. Great fun if the wind is light, or blowing from a favourable direction too...MB140 said:
I worked on RAF c130j hercs for 3 years one of my jobs used to be strip landing prep (fields beaches etc).
This involved believe it or not taping foam around all of the lower antenna and removing the bottom anti collision light and applying metal tape accross the hole left behind.
There have been instances of aircraft having mishaps and needing to be repaired but n a beach (right pain in the ass) but I don’t know of one where they have had to strip it to repair it.
I have photos somewhere of one that landed in a field doing training and hit some metal hidden in the grass with the port undercarriage. This caused the tire to delaminate and destroyed a lot of the port aft section. Underaridge, wiring, apu and power/control circuits. Damaged the port aft door. Underaridge doors.
It was a right mess and took two weeks of work just to get it to the state where it was flown at slow speed with the undercarriage chained/locked in the down position to get it back to Brize norton where it was put in a deep strip hanger and repaired.
“Build it and they will come”This involved believe it or not taping foam around all of the lower antenna and removing the bottom anti collision light and applying metal tape accross the hole left behind.
There have been instances of aircraft having mishaps and needing to be repaired but n a beach (right pain in the ass) but I don’t know of one where they have had to strip it to repair it.
I have photos somewhere of one that landed in a field doing training and hit some metal hidden in the grass with the port undercarriage. This caused the tire to delaminate and destroyed a lot of the port aft section. Underaridge, wiring, apu and power/control circuits. Damaged the port aft door. Underaridge doors.
It was a right mess and took two weeks of work just to get it to the state where it was flown at slow speed with the undercarriage chained/locked in the down position to get it back to Brize norton where it was put in a deep strip hanger and repaired.
I’m fairly sure there’s been incidents where special forces aircraft have been stranded on a beach doing SAS training at night, perhaps it was a sea king or a chinook? I’m sure a colleague of mine who did this kind of flying told me about being stuck on a UK beach with his helicopter and some SAS.
There’s obviously been C130s doing beach landings in the UK also,
Perhaps your friends story is a mixture of the two events.
There’s obviously been C130s doing beach landings in the UK also,
Perhaps your friends story is a mixture of the two events.
I used to repair Hercs for many years, and yes it is possible to transport one by road but, and it's a big but, it an awful lot of work to strip them down to a size where they can be moved on a road.
Most of the big bits ( Fin, outer wings, tail plane, flying controls, cargo ramp and door) are routinely removed on a major servicing and are pretty simple to get off, but to move by road the centre wing has to be removed as does the bit of dorsal fin that's left when you take the main fin off. these are not so simple to remove as they are not designed to be removed.
Even when stripped to this point it's still a move it at night on a planned route taking signs down etc type of move.
The beach landings and the pulling of dinghy's into the back of the aircraft can take quite a toll on the aircraft as the cargo floor has drain holes everywhere and the salt water plays havoc with the structure underneath.
Most of the big bits ( Fin, outer wings, tail plane, flying controls, cargo ramp and door) are routinely removed on a major servicing and are pretty simple to get off, but to move by road the centre wing has to be removed as does the bit of dorsal fin that's left when you take the main fin off. these are not so simple to remove as they are not designed to be removed.
Even when stripped to this point it's still a move it at night on a planned route taking signs down etc type of move.
The beach landings and the pulling of dinghy's into the back of the aircraft can take quite a toll on the aircraft as the cargo floor has drain holes everywhere and the salt water plays havoc with the structure underneath.
stuartmmcfc said:
MB140 said:
I worked on RAF c130j hercs for 3 years one of my jobs used to be strip landing prep (fields beaches etc).
This involved believe it or not taping foam around all of the lower antenna and removing the bottom anti collision light and applying metal tape accross the hole left behind.
There have been instances of aircraft having mishaps and needing to be repaired but n a beach (right pain in the ass) but I don’t know of one where they have had to strip it to repair it.
I have photos somewhere of one that landed in a field doing training and hit some metal hidden in the grass with the port undercarriage. This caused the tire to delaminate and destroyed a lot of the port aft section. Underaridge, wiring, apu and power/control circuits. Damaged the port aft door. Underaridge doors.
It was a right mess and took two weeks of work just to get it to the state where it was flown at slow speed with the undercarriage chained/locked in the down position to get it back to Brize norton where it was put in a deep strip hanger and repaired.
“Build it and they will come”This involved believe it or not taping foam around all of the lower antenna and removing the bottom anti collision light and applying metal tape accross the hole left behind.
There have been instances of aircraft having mishaps and needing to be repaired but n a beach (right pain in the ass) but I don’t know of one where they have had to strip it to repair it.
I have photos somewhere of one that landed in a field doing training and hit some metal hidden in the grass with the port undercarriage. This caused the tire to delaminate and destroyed a lot of the port aft section. Underaridge, wiring, apu and power/control circuits. Damaged the port aft door. Underaridge doors.
It was a right mess and took two weeks of work just to get it to the state where it was flown at slow speed with the undercarriage chained/locked in the down position to get it back to Brize norton where it was put in a deep strip hanger and repaired.
tting/dreaming/imagining it, which I assure you I am not. I don't have the pictures but it most definitely did happen. I worked on 33 Sqn when it was renamed to 47 Sqn because the puma Sqn also 33 was not happy with our use of 33. Apologies if I have misunderstood you meaning.
Edited to add:
Having just spoke to one of the guys still on hercs it appears I have got it wrong, I left the Sqn a few weeks after the incident and it transpired it was on tarmac not grass. not sure what caused the tyre to delaminate though. I remember seeing the pictures going around the Sqn.
Edited by MB140 on Tuesday 27th March 17:29
Edited by MB140 on Tuesday 27th March 17:30
MB140 said:
I worked on 33 Sqn when it was renamed to 47 Sqn because the puma Sqn also 33 was not happy with our use of 33.
I don't think that's quite right. There has never been a 33 Sqn operating Albert, and 47 have continuously operated Albert since they received C-130K in 1968, replacing these with C-130J at the end of 2013.RAF C-130 Sqns have only ever been:
XXIV
30
36
47
48
LXX
Plus the Met Research Flight flying 'Snoopy'.
36 and 48 were disbanded after the drawdown from the Far East in the mid '70s; 36 in Nov 1975 and 48 in Jan 1976.
XXIV and 30 were the first to convert to C-130J with XXIV later becoming the A400 OCU. 30 and LXX now also fly the A400.
Edited by Ginetta G15 Girl on Tuesday 27th March 17:59
El stovey said:
I don’t think he’s being rude, isn’t he saying - if you build a runway someone will land on it?
Like in field of dreams where they build a baseball field in a corn field and ghost players come to use it.
Possibly
No I,m sorry if the OP got the wrong end of the stick. It’s actually a saying on LBC’s mystery hour by James O’Brien http://lbc.audioagain.com/presenters/6-james-obrie...Like in field of dreams where they build a baseball field in a corn field and ghost players come to use it.
Possibly
Basically if a questions asked and someone who is extremely qualified to answer it comes on then they get a “Ray Liotta”- build it and they will come.
It’s the highest accolade possible and it would be difficult to argue you didn’t know what you were talking about.
A slight aside, listen to the mystery hour podcast, I always have a laugh and often learn something.
Edited by stuartmmcfc on Tuesday 27th March 19:04
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