Low flying Hercules

Two of them, so low the wing cast shadows across the lawn. They went up the valley, then banked left to fly over Crummock and Buttermere, disappearing behind the low hills between. Great viewing.

Every few months I get one fly over the shop. So low you don’t hear it coming or leaving.

A few years ago on a holiday in the Highlands we’d parked up at a viewing spot over-looking Loch Quoich ready to take a couple of snaps when I caught something moving out the corner of my eye.

hercules

Video doesn’t really do it justice but it was a fantastic sight, came swooping in over the top of mountains then flew down the loch.

Better outside of it than inside!

When I was out in Iraq a few years back one of the special hercs out there was so low he had to pull up to clear the perimeter fence at Basra airfield.

Yep had some mates on one of them today, one of them filled 4 sick bags lol. I didn’t get to go this time 🙁

This flew over my head a couple of years back by Ribblehead. Didn’t hear it until it was virtually on top of me. The turbulence and smell of aviation fuel was fantastic. I’m not sure how low it was but it climbed to start making that turn!

have nothing to say but the first plane i ever had a flight in (i was 10 at the time) was a hercules. they had the cargo bay door open (with a net to stop anyone falling out).

we could also go into the cockpit and watch the pilot flying the plane.

great day 8)

Had a view like this as one of them was circling the mendips a couple of years ago on the run up to the fairford airshow. Wondered if they were targetting mountain bikers or deer 😀

I spoent 8 hours in a Herc several years ago flying to Goose Bay in Labrador. A most unpleasant experience!

LIKE.

The best time to see anything military low flying is midweek summertime in Derwent/Peaks

I spoent 8 hours in a Herc several years ago flying to Goose Bay in Labrador. A most unpleasant experience!

Aye, I know the feeling.
Lossiemouth to The Azores. The Azores to Bangor. Bangor to Nellis AFB (Las Vegas). Trailing the Tornados out to Red Flag.
At least I wasn’t going to Goose Bay!

A tactical landing into Basra in a Hercules was quite an experience.

The sight of one of those things getting hurled around through a lakes valley is a joy to behold.

I’ve had the dubious pleasure of being on the flight deck of one of the things, doing bump runs at RAF Lytham. When they wound the engines up to full tilt, the noise and vibration was incredible, and the only thought in my head was ‘theres no effing way this thing is going to get off the ground!”

It did though. In what felt like about 100 yards. 😯

Had one fly past while I was on Goat Crag Borrowdale. It was below me, one of the crew in the cockpit waved as they went past.

Growing up, we lived on what I assume was a flightpath for Spadeadam so some days we’d get herc after herc after herc coming over so low that if we were out the back having a kickabout we’d play a game of trying to kick the ball up to hit the plane. Obviously they were much higher than we could kick a ball but we were fairly stupid children.

Had a view like this as one of them was circling the mendips a couple of years ago on the run up to the fairford airshow. Wondered if they were targetting mountain bikers or deer

I don’t think that is a Herc (although based on one). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockheed_AC-130

Nixie, it is a Hercules, it’s an AC130 used by the yanks, retro fitted with something like a 30mm minigun, 50mm cannon and a 75mm howitzer!

Interdiction- puff the magic dragon or something.

^^^^^Love from above. That is a spectre gun ship.

My first flight in a herc was into Basra doing a tactical landing, I nearly shat myself !!

Nixie, it is a Hercules, it’s an AC130 used by the yanks, retro fitted with something like a 30mm minigun, 50mm cannon and a 75mm howitzer!

I know that 🙂 but <pedantic mode on> it has a different designation (AC130 instead of C130 and different friendly name(s)) so is not a Hercules.

Not seen them for a long time but would quite often be cycling above Tornado’s and Harrier’s doing low level stuff around the Malvern’s (maybe they’ve been taken out of service)
My parent’s house was on a route for Hercules/Apache/Chinook’s and we’d get, almost daily, fly-by’s at very low altitude.
Gotta love a low-level fly-by 🙂

I know that but <pedantic mode on> it has a different designation (AC130 instead of C130 and different friendly name(s)) so is not a Hercules.

That would be why I googled AC-130 to get the image and it’s classed as a variant 😛

and to correct the latter post it’s a 105mm Howitzer 😈

Aye, I know the feeling.
Lossiemouth to The Azores. The Azores to Bangor. Bangor to Nellis AFB (Las Vegas). Trailing the Tornados out to Red Flag.
At least I wasn’t going to Goose Bay!

A tactical landing into Basra in a Hercules was quite an experience.

Never experienced a tactical landing, but saw a few. You could tell the folk who had flown in a herc before, as they put their hoods up during landing to prevent getting soaked from the condensation thawing!
Goose Bay was amazing, we were there Sep-Oct. -18 at night, but we could eat in the tri-services mess with the Yanks. Best food I have ever eaten.

Amazingly capable airframe but by god are the the hellest thing to be in the back off unless you are running out the door…
several times over 12hrs with a LR wheel 6″ away from your knees and a Loadmaster that won’t let you move 👿
Or the one who kicked me in the back as I was fast asleep on the tilt of a 110 – 3 mths after I returned from a not insignificant set of injuries. I didnt get to punch him – my Flgt Sarg did it 😆

Did an emergency landing in stravanger in one back in 2002. Not too bad as the RAF put us up in the raddisson sas for the night while a replacement flew out the next day. After 3 months on exercise I wouldnt like to see the room service bill the RAF had to pay.

Pretty sure an A400M flew over me today ! It appeared to be taking off from broughton and was VERY low indeed!!!

My Dad was a Herc pilot based at Lyneham, he flew Snoopy at the end of his career (for those in the know). And also landed on the runway at Port Stanley after the Vulcans did a poor job of wrecking it. His career lowlight was flying Jim Davidson to the Falklands which was made into a film and video. They filmed Dad doing inflight refuelling about 15 times, he missed once. They used that specific cut. He was furious

I’m working at (Ex) RAF Lyneham at the moment – it’s now a Solar Farm/training College.

There’s usually a couple of them a day do a low fly-by

I love the Hercules regularly seen in my childhood and youth in and out of the local bases along with what I think is my very favourite combat aircraft (from an interested civilian’s perspective) the A-10. Odd looking but such a distinctive aircraft and from what I have read over the years a quite special and unique one too.

Hateful things.
No one flys club class in a Herc.
Always happy to jump out of ’em mind..

We lived on the North escarpment of Salisbury plain when I was a kid. The Herc’s would low level dropping things out of the back training over RAF Keevil. Then bank directly at our house, and seem to leave it as late as possible before gaining altitude to fly off over the Plain.