YMC-130 "Credible Sport"

[WarbirdRadio]

I'm working on a story about Operation Credible Sport for Warbird Radio. Just curious if anyone has any personal stories (or connections) with the Operation? Additionally, I have posted several pictures of the only surviving "Credible Sport" aircraft on my website. The link to the photo gallery is down below. I look forward to hearing from you! Thanks.

YMC-130 Gallery: http://www.warbirdradio.com/2009/11/top ... -revealed/

v/r

Matt Jolley

[DaveG]

I'd never heard of Credible Sport until I visited Warner-Robins this summer and saw that plane. Naturally, I did a little googling and found that video you posted. Pretty wild sequence there. Would've scared the tar out of the Iranians in that stadium, for sure!

[hurk130]

Quote "Additionally, I have posted several pictures of the only surviving "Credible Sport" aircraft on my website." is kind of true.

"The remaining airframes were stripped of their rocket modifications and 74-2065 returned to regular airlift duties."

I have many hours on 2065. In the mid 90's, we hit a turkey vulture on a low level mission at Pope AFB which left a permanent crease right below the pilots kick window. The bird bounced outward toward #2 engine. Half the bird went into the engine and FOD'ed it out while the rest of the body hit behind the left wheel well. One bird. Three strikes!

If you know where to look, you can see some of the old mod repair patches but from the outside, the plane looks like a regular C-130H-1. It is one of my favorite planes to fly. When I first stepped on the plane in 1994, it had 8 thousand hours on it. About 2 to 3 thousand hours less than the other aircraft on the flight line. Now it has about 22,000 hours on it. It's time is getting short for Active duty AF to fly it.

Good luck on your research.

Kel

[tom d. friedman]

never heard of the project!! i love fresh material!! what was up with the rounded prop blades? & how did the flight crew handle the forward reverse thrusters just aft of the flight deck?? it must have been like being a marshmallow at a campfire, + they were blinded temporarily.!!!

[CAPFlyer]

Tom, the rounded tips are normal for the Hamilton-Standard props. The paint is a bit "non-standard" to make them look like the square-tipped Aeroproducts, though.

As for the rockets, they were angled far enough away to not cause a heat issue in the cockpit. In addition, thermal blankets were added to the fuselage near the rocket locations where there were heat concerns.

[tom d. friedman]

thanks for the interesting info. i wish more of the american public knew of this effort. as for president carter...... well... politics are a no no on wix.... i'll leave it at that!!