Hunter and Ryan next to a Coast Guard C-130
Last week Ryan and I had the chance to tour a Coast Guard C-130. Our friend Hunter is a pilot stationed in Kodiak and hew flew to JBER in Anchorage for the day and had free time to meet up with us. I vaguely recall going in some of the Coast Guard hangars on field trips as a kid, but I think we looked at helicopters. I don't remember ever getting to see a C-130 up close, so this was exciting for both of us.
The C-130s at the base in Kodiak are 1980s models. Going into the cock pit feels like a blast from the past with some new GPS equipment mixed in. They are really amazing planes - they can carry so much cargo and fly with the back door open. The one we toured was configured with passenger seats for the day. I'm glad we got to see this older model. Hunter is soon moving to a different base where he will learn to fly a newer model of C-130. I'm sure eventually these 1980s planes will be phased out.
Hunter and Ryan in the cockpit
Passenger seats
Ryan really enjoyed seeing this exceptional piece of modern technology (a pencil sharpener) in the cock pit
I've seen Hunter skiing a few times on Pyramid!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'll add that old 'analog' type planes aren't always so bad. They've never been able to build a better float plane (for Alaska) than the Beaver. I bet the new C-130s have all sorts of software crashes etc. Sort of like how electronic windows always seem to break in the newer cars.
Patrick