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Hercules pilots provide aerial delivery muscle

Marine Corps News

Story Identification #: 20056111449
Story by Lance Cpl. James B. Hoke

MARINE CORPS AIR STATION MIRAMAR, Calif. (May 25, 2005) -- Many military pilots have a large list of responsibilities to cover when flying their aircraft.

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar-based KC-130 Hercules pilots with Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 352, Marine Aircraft Group 11, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, take on an enormous amount of responsibilities that, if not done correctly, could cost the loss of lives and equipment.

"The biggest difference between flying the jets and the C-130 is that we have an entire crew," said Capt. Kacey J. Cottrell, pilot, VMGR-352. "We have an aircraft commander in charge of everything on that aircraft, including the welfare of everyone on board. His actions affect all of the crew and passengers, not just himself.

"The hardest part about flying the C-130 is that you are flying with a much larger crew and systems," she added. "You have to coordinate with the crew. This plane doesn't turn on a dime like some of the jets do. You have to plan ahead for your maneuvers," Cottrell added.

Although there's a lot of responsibility given to the C-130 Marines, they still go through the same basic flight school as other pilots.

"Whether you fly a jet, helicopter or the C-130, you are going to start out at a flight school," said Capt. Mark L. Moddell, pilot, VMGR-352. "Everyone has to do some kind of primary training, and that takes a year or a little longer to complete.

"After finishing flight school, you get to pick whether you want to fly a helicopter, jet or a C-130," added Moddell. "Flight school grades play a large role in the selection process. So when the grades finally come out, you may or may not get what you picked."

According to Moddell, if a pilot gets assigned to fly the KC-130, they can rest assured that they will be participating in an assortment of missions.

"We have a huge variety of missions that we fly," said the Alta Loma, Calif., native. "So does everyone else, but we take it to a whole different level. In the Air Force, the C-130 pilots would only do aerial delivery, whereas in the Marine Corps, we will fly aerial delivery missions one day, which can include cargo and people, and conduct aerial refueling the next."

The Hercules has a wide range of abilities that allow it to be one of the Marine Corps' primary workhorses.

"The KC-130 can fly approximately 12 hours or 3,000 miles on a tank of gas," said Cottrell. "It has the capability to haul up to 50,000 pounds or 92 people, and flies at speeds of nearly 290 knots."

Pilots have flown the historic aircraft over the jungles of Vietnam, mountains of Afghanistan and deserts of Iraq, giving the plane a distinguished flying record over four decades. In the 21st century, C-130 pilots again face the challenge of transitioning to flying a revolutionary new model of the Hercules.

"We have been converting over to a new airplane, the KC-130J," Moddell concluded. "We have flown the old legacy plane for over 30 years, and now we are switching over to the J-model. This plane is going to have better flight safety for the pilots and their crew."