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Before every flight, the crew chief rubs his C-130E on the nose and gives it a kiss for good luck. Staff Sgt. Benjamin Comer gave Tail No. 7887 one last kiss Jan. 4 as the plane made its last flight to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson, Ariz., where it will be used for spare parts.
Tail No. 7887 is the first of three C-130E aircraft to retire this year from Ramstein. The retiring C-130Es will be swapped with modern C-130J models, on an approximately one-to-one ratio, and they are scheduled to begin arriving in February 2009.
“This is an end of an era,” said Sergeant Comer.
Tail No. 7887 started its career with five years of service in Vietnam, according to maintenance records kept on the aircraft. This plane, like other C-130E models, has withstood more than 40 years of high operations tempo flying into austere airfields in support of a full spectrum of missions.
Due to their age, a high war-time operations tempo and difficulty finding parts for the aircraft, they need to retire, said Master Sgt. Roger Richardson, 86th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron production superintendent.
The 86th Maintenance Group has some of the hardest-working Airmen in the maintenance field, said Lt. Col. Christopher Mardis, 86th Maintenance Group deputy commander. It takes an enormous amount of dedication, energy and effort to ensure these E models are safe and airworthy for aircrews – especially since most of the aircraft are over 40 years old. However, while the maintainers are sad to see the vintage craftsmanship of a terrific airplane go, operators and maintainers alike welcome the new J models.
“Receiving J models is going to enhance the mission of the 86th Operations Group so we can continue the world-class support we provide throughout Europe, Africa and southwest Asia,” said Col. Hank Sanders, 86th Operations Group commander. “We are transitioning to a new era, and that is exciting for everyone at Ramstein.”
The C-130J model, the only Hercules model still produced, is a very different aircraft. The plane comes equipped with Rolls-Royce Allison AE21000 turboprops, six-bladed composite scimitar-shaped propellers and a head-up display for each pilot. Additionally, the plane does not require a navigator or flight engineer. The J model also comes with increased reliability, up to 27 percent lower operating costs and is quieter than other models.
As the 86th Operations and Maintenance groups prepare for the new planes, the 435th Civil Engineer Group will be constructing three major projects to make room for the planes.
The first project is to extend the ramp to approximately double its current capacity, adding 10 parking spots, said Cheryl Pierce, U.S. Air Forces in Europe military construction project manager. Other projects include a $3.3 million C-130J aircraft part storage facility and a $22 million C-130 dual bay maintenance hangar.
As Team Ramstein mobilizes to prepare for the J model arrival, the C-130E will continue to carry the workload. In the meantime, flight and maintenance crews can begin the process of saying goodbye.
“They are terrific planes and it is hard to see them go,” said Sergeant Comer.
Even so, everyone will be glad to see the J models arrive.
