New USFS HC-130H's.....to be @ MCC soon
Results 1 to 5 of 5

Thread: New USFS HC-130H's.....to be @ MCC soon

  1. #1

    New USFS HC-130H's.....to be @ MCC soon

    from fire aviation:

    <header class="entry-header" style="color: rgb(55, 55, 55); font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24.375px;">The first Coast Guard HC-130H converted to an air tanker for USFS to be available in August

    Posted on May 20, 2015 by Bill Gabbert
    14
    </header>HC-130H paint design, by Scheme Designers

    The first of the seven HC-130Hs that are being transferred from the Coast Guard to the U.S. Forest Service will arrive at Forest Service Air Station McClellan (FSAS MCC) in mid-June, not mid-May as originally planned. And yes, that is what the Forest Service is calling their facility at McClellan Airport in Sacramento, California.
    The aircraft will still be a work in progress when it lands at MCC. It will not have the paint job as seen above, but will be gray and white with U.S. Forest Service Modular Airborne Fire Fighting System MAFFS markings, according to Jennifer Jones, a USFS spokesperson for the USFS. The gravity-based retardant tank will not have been installed, so it will be temporarily operating with a MAFFS pressurized 3,000-gallon tank. It will also need to depart at some point for scheduled Programmed Depot Maintenance, painting, and retardant tank installation.
    Coast Guard HC-130H #1721, will be one of the first two Coast Guard HC-130Hs to be used by the USFS. Photo by Alan Stern 10-24-2014.

    The USFS expects that it will be available to fly firefighting missions by August. It will usually be be restricted to fires within 500 nautical miles (575 miles) of MCC so that it can return there each day where both the USFS contract maintenance and U.S. Coast Guard support crews will be located. Missions at a greater distance and staying away from the base will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
    Map showing 500 nm radius from Sacramento.

    A second HC-130H is expected to arrive at MCC in August and will only be used for flight crew training. It will also be a work in progress but should be sporting the new USFS paint scheme. Its Programmed Depot Maintenance will have been completed but it will still need to have a gravity-based retardant tank installed.
    Coast Guard HC-130H #1708, will be one of the first two Coast Guard HC-130Hs to be used by the USFS. Photo by Andrew Sieber 7-20-2009.

    We are now using the model name “HC-130H” for these aircraft originally purchased by the U.S. Coast Guard. The first “H” indicates that it is an extended-range, search and rescue variant of the C-130 Hercules. It cruises slightly faster than the C-130H and has twice the range, capable of flying from Missoula, Montana to London non-stop. According to Wikipedia, the HC-130H has the following performance characteristics:
    Maximum speed: 330 knots (380 mph, 611 km/h)
    Cruise speed: 290 knots (333 mph, 537 km/h)
    Range: 4,500 nm (5,178 mi, 8,334 km)
    Service ceiling: 33,000 ft (10,000 m)

    The first two aircraft to arrive at MCC this summer are 27 and 31 years old. If, after various federal government agencies invest up to $130 million in the conversion of the aircraft, and if the USFS keeps them for 20 years, at that point they will be about the same age as the P2Vs that have been falling out of the sky at an alarming rate over the last 15 years.
    We are not sure which HC-130H will arrive first (we are guessing T-118) but here are more details:

    • Air Tanker 118
    • Coast Guard #1721
    • Lockheed Martin SN 5121
    • Transferred from Lockheed to the USCG 6/16/1988
    • Hours: 5,194
    • The center wing box will not be replaced at the Programmed Depot Maintenance due to the low number of hours


    • Air Tanker 116
    • Coast Guard #1708
    • Lockheed Martin SN 5002
    • Transferred from Lockheed to the USCG 9/17/1984
    • Hours: 22,807
    • The center wing box will be replaced at the Programmed Depot Maintenance

    Contract for air crew
    A $6 million contract for air crews to fly the aircraft was awarded April 27, 2015 to CASS Professional Services Corp, headquartered in Temecula, California. The following jobs will be initially filled for a nine month period with options to extend the term of the contract for an additional two years.

    • 1 C-130H Qualified Contractor Aircrew Project Manager
    • 2 MAFFS II Qualified Instructor Pilots,
    • 1 US Coast Guard Qualified Flight Engineer Instructor, or US Air Force Qualified FE Instructor
    • 2 MAFFS II Qualified Load Master Instructors

    Retardant tank
    The Air Force has issued a solicitation for gravity-based fire retardant tanks:
    …design, manufacture, and installation of a 3,500 gallon Retardant Delivery System (RDS) for seven (7) HC-130H aircraft. There will be a basic contract with one (1) trial kit/install, one (1) verification kit/install, and three (3) production kits/install. There will be an option for two (2) additional production kits/installs. Effort includes but is not limited to: RDS development, manufacture and installation, structural modifications, and maintenance and inspection plans.
    The upper portion of the tank above the floor will be removable and have the ability to disperse 3,500 gallons.
    Contract for maintenance
    A contract for maintenance of the aircraft is being advertised now with a response date of May 29, 2015. The contractor must provide a total of 17 mechanics and avionics/electrical technicians in the Primary, Secondary, and Back Shop crews. The contract will initially be for a nine month period (June 1 through January), with options to extend for an additional two full years. Services will be provided five days a week during the non-fire season, and seven days a week during the fire season.
    The other five HC-130H aircraft
    Most of the work on the one or two aircraft that will initially be operated as MAFFS is being done at Robins Air Force Base in Georgia and at the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Logistics Center in North Carolina.
    Jennifer Jones told us that the location of the work that will be done on the other five HC-130Hs will be determined once the U.S. Air Force has awarded a contract for it. Work that needs to be done on these aircraft includes demilitarization; performing wing and airframe modifications; designing, contracting for, manufacturing and installing retardant tanks; and equipping them with radios, Aircraft Flight Following, and other equipment. The U.S. Air Force will perform center and outer wing-box replacement modifications, programmed depot-level maintenance, and modifications necessary to procure and integrate a gravity fed aerial fire retardant delivery system (RDS) in each aircraft before they can be brought into U.S. Forest Service operation for firefighting missions.
    If you want to know more about what is involved in replacing wing boxes, check out the article we wrote last year, Wing box replacements in the USFS C-130s.

  2. #2
    well i thought it was cool....lol

  3. #3
    Coastie Dolphins/Spartans CG_1976's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
    Location
    JBSA/Corpus TX
    Age
    47
    Posts
    3,510
    This soon to be Ret. Coastie is very very happy. I know the USFS will put them Herc's to work.

    AMD FX 8-Core Black 4.2Ghz, 8G Ram 2TB HD, W8.1 pending W10, ATI R5 2G X2 Crossfire
    http://www.canadianarcticfse.com/

  4. #4
    Nice comprehensive report Daveroo. Well done. As a Californian these Hercs are a good asset for USFS. It might ease the load on Coach 1 & 2 flying out of Mugu. As a taxpayer I like to see our money being spent wisely. Keep us posted.

    Obie

  5. #5
    Wow, I just learned of this. Thanks for the detailed information. You can bet I'll be there with a camera.

Members who have read this thread: 1

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •