If anyone happens to see a Herk on the ground at GCN around lunchtime today come say hi to the Loadmaster or give a call. Ate juan seven 7 too 1 juan 6 fife tree.


Zack

I love my job!!

SD

Very cool, makes me miss the herk. I loved those times where you just got to hang out on the open ramp and enjoy the view. It's hard to believe its been three and a half years since my last flight.

Yessir Herk life is good, I'll do my best to soak up as much extra as I can for ya buddy

The 717th Med Det (Hel Amb), on way to Golden Eagle 82 at Fr. Irwin, ran into a big snow storm on the south rim. We sat down in the woods and some of us started setting up tents. The Forest Service came out and gave us rides to the Holiday Inn.

Zack,

During Brave Shield 79, I back-hauled the two pilots of a C-130 crash to Loma Linda hospital. They were doing night tactical training. One had worn a headset and the other a Micky Mouse SPH-4 helmet. The one who had worn the headset was in really bad shape with a crushed forehead. Army pilots don't have an option. They must wear the Mickey Mouse helmet. But then, we crash more often.

Best regards,

Jim

Do you have a strap attached when sitting in the open door? No parachute?

Jim- We also have helmets for use on the rare occasion when we do any sort of low level maneuvering, this day was just low and slow in mostly straight lines. I'm a firm believer of protecting the brain housing group

TCJ- Parachute, no. Full on body harness, absolutely. We have a very meticulous process whereby all fastening points are checked then double checked in addition to the length of slack in the securing strap. All of that prior to opening the door, and then all checked again before proceeding aft of the cargo ramp hinge into the "zone of exclusion" which no one enters unless they are properly secured, briefed, and checked out. In the above picture, I was at the fullest extent of the securing strap so as not to become a stain on the floor of the canyon.

SD

On AF C-130s we have the choice of wearing a restraint harness or a parachute when above a certain altitude with the paratroop doors or rear ramp and door open in flight. I would usually only wear the parachute if we were dropping HALO.These pics are from my last TDY as a C-130 LM dropping PJ's over Pendleton, OR. Now I sit in a cublicle all day .

robw56,

A parachute would not have worked for me. I would have had a heart attack just looking over the end of that ramp. Kinda scared of heights. Avoided looking through the chin bubble on a Huey.

Jim