Long range Hercules flights in the Falklands Conflict

Lindoug,
I knew someone would come up with the details!
Bowler Radar (atop Green Mt on Asension) reported this Herc was “fishtailing” on its approach to ASI so as to lose time and ‘beat the record’. But just what record that was I have no idea.

Aeronut,
As you so rightly say Business Class on the Airbridge was something that had to be experienced to be believed. But there were differences. A lot of us boarded an Airbridge at Ascension (to fly to work you understand), only to be halted as we self-loaded, to be told that a “Navy Captain” was coming. He turned out not to be a Full 4-Ring RN Captain, but a MN Captain who was ‘going south’ to take over command of one the tugs that was thereabouts – and was a fairly basic gentleman!!!. Was this – I mused later – the one that got TEV Rangatira’s moorings hopelessley fouled-up in Stanley Harbour such that those of us sleeping off a 24-hr shift at RAF Stanley were kept awake? Or was that keeping awake the result of some Jock Regt pipers practising their skill just outside my cabin door? On complaining to the Jock Regt OC he said “I’m frightended fartless of the Pipe Major, can’t help”.
And was this the same TEV Rangitira when, on announcement of a possible Argy air-raid, manned all the gun positions. There was, however, a severe shortage of ammo for the Bren guns. The guy with the key to the ammo store had gone ashore on R&R. When, eventually, the ammo store was opened we (all and sundry) were put to filling Bren magazines and tossing them up to the bren-gunners on the upper decks. One of those so employed was a Padre. And as he pressed rounds into mags, and then tossed them ‘upstairs’, was heard to mutter “I don’t think I should be doing this. It might endanger my status under the Geneva Convention! And, moreover, it might make my career prospects a little more difficult!”. We calmed him by saying “if the Argies are going to come by air, then they’ll come from the side opposite from us”.
After all this I had to go on yet another 24-hr working shift at RAF Stanley. But so had everybody else! CO RAF Stanley said (at the start) “If there is anybody NOT working 15/18 hrs per day, every day, then he’s on the next Herc back to ASI.
HTH
Resmoroh

Thanks for the input. I tried Pprune and this is what I got:

18th/19th June 1982
XV179 70 Sqn, fuel from Victors
Capt – Flt Lt Locke
Co – Fg Off Collins
Nav – Flt Lt Boyle
Eng – Sgt Wood
ALM – MALM Whiting
Capt 2 – Flt Lt O’Brien
Nav 2 – Flt Lt Williams

Flight time 28 hours 3 minutes!

There are 9 pages of interesting info about these missions here;
‘Lyneham Village Online ‘Hercules Story’

[ATTACH]165770[/ATTACH]

I’ve been rumaging around in my snapshot collection and here is a shot of Airbridge Business Class (well we were all going there to work). :rolleyes:

And further to this one. I can’t remember whether I was at Stanley or Ascension when this happened – the date (if it arrives!) will tell. But you should know that the Crew, when they eventually got back to ASI, fell out of the a/c, debriefed, and went to bed for about 24-hrs.
Meanwhile, here was a fully serviceable Herc sitting on the pan at ASI. They refuelled it, found a ‘spare’ crew and put it back on the road. The pax (self-loading freight) having just done a 24-hr trip were given a greasy-spoon fry-up and put back on the same a/c they’d just come off!!!) Passenger Comfort Appreciation indeces, for C-130 Airbridges, were – at that time – fairly rudimentary!! The Cabin Service was not of the highest order. Indeed, the main subject of conversation (provided one could have one!) was “Who managed to breed chickens with 4 legs” (and ‘Road Runners’ into the bargain!)! I went up/down ASI/Stanley several times in company with an NCO who had the magic security codes bag strapped to his wrist. I only did my trips every month or so – he did the trip every fortnight!! “How do you cope with it” I asked. “I just imagine I’m a parcel”, he answered!!!
There needs to be an Airbridge S**t-Shooters Club!! Could be quite entertaining!
HTH
Resmoroh

When I went down on the Airbridge in late March 84 I was told of the Herc that having got to Stanley found the wind out of limits to land so it returned to Ascension only to find the strip at Wideawake partially blocked by a landslip and the island suffering its once in a hundred years storm. The Story went on that they got it down on the third attempt but by that time everyone on board was wearing LSJs as there wasn’t enough fuel left for a fourth attempt.

At the time the Airbridge Herc had to use AAR so that, if like the Herc in the story you couldn’t land there was enough fuel to return to Ascension

Have you tried PPRuNe? Possibly someone on there might be able to help?

http://www.pprune.org/military-aircrew-57/

http://www.pprune.org/

TJ