C-130 fly-by over my house

reply to post by KawRider9


It IS a C-130, I'm working on identifying the particular model based on your pics. But the only C-130 that *I* know of that had a spotlight setup on it was the RC-130, and that has been out of the inventory for years. Spotlights are Bad Things to carry on planes, unless it's a helicopter on a rescue mission. It lights them up for people with guns to shoot at. And they're usually moving too fast for them to do much good. Certain planes, like the P-3, or the British Nimrod have them, but they're usually on Antisubmarine missions, which means they don't have lots of people with guns shooting at them.

If you would, PM me a better location for where this was, and I can find out what C-130 bases are near you, and give you a better idea of what they might have been doing there.

The only C130 that I've ever seen a spotlight on is the AC-130 Gunship and from the photos, that doesn't look like one. That light is located on the left (gun) side of the aircraft in the tail section just behind and above the 105 cannon. They use it when flying in an orbit to light up targets they are firing on.

However, they do have Landing lights and I'm wondering if that isn't what you saw. I was on a military survival weekend with a Jr ROTC group once, and while we were out in the woods near the base. And aircraft flew overhead. I suddenly saw what I thought was a spotlight coming straight down into the trees and as I watched, I realized that it was the light attached to the nose landing gear. As the gear extended, the light followed the motion of the gear until it was in front of the aircraft where it should be.

If the location of the light you saw was near the wheel wells, I'm thinking that might be what you saw.

reply to post by KawRider9


im not saying your lying just saying the EXIF data on your camera is showing something different.....the settings on your cam could be all FUBARD and need to be adjusted.....
now you know and you can fix it......trust me this will help if you happen to capture something of importance like a UFO or ghost or whatever.....EXIF data will be important.


and i doubt they cared you were taking pictures (nor do i believe they saw you)....ive lived on military bases for a crap load of years and have taken a zillion pics of jets flying around....i dont live on base anymore and i still take pics of jets when i see them fly over....along w/ choppers....

reply to post by paraclete1


I believe the spotlight has been removed from the AC-130s. They use thermal and FLIR instead.

Testing....

I wrote out two replies with pics and both were bounced!

Edit* Sweet, I'll try again!

That's pics of my house, shop and screen. Here's a link to my website.. www.ozoneautobody.com

I have no clue what the light ws.

reply to post by KawRider9


your camera settings are all wonky....you may want to look into fixing that....trust me, it will be worth it (although im no help on how to do that)....

your last photo of the screen shot shows..

Date Time = 2011-06-28 03:19:01

reply to post by KawRider9


I'm pretty sure that it was an EC-130 out Arizona. Not many have the protrusions by the tail like this one does. How close are you to a military base? I know Scott AFB has C-130s, not EC-130s, they're only at Davis Monthan in Arizona, but they fly into and out of various bases doing training.

As for the light, I suspect that the previous answer of landing lights is probably the best answer.

reply to post by Zaphod58


I'm in East Peoria, Illinois.

Would I have been able to see the landing gear lights without the landing gear out?

reply to post by KawRider9


If they were deploying the gear, then the lights would have come on as they deployed. Or it could have been the landing lights in the wings. The C-130 has lights in the wing between the engines. Some of the new landing lights in use are bright enough to appear to be a spotlight.

He was probably going into the Peoria ANG Base that's part of the Greater Peoria Regional Airport.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by paraclete1

 

I believe the spotlight has been removed from the AC-130s. They use thermal and FLIR instead.

That's entirely possible. I retired in 94 from Hurlburt just before the U models came out. I worked on the FLIR and Low Light Level TV (LLLTV) systems on the H's and the FLIR on the MC130's and MH-53 Pave Low III's. At that time, the MH's had an infrared spot light system so you wouldn't know you were lit up unless you had a Night Vision device of some kind. The AC's may have had a similar system, but I did see the spotlight used in a Live Fire demonstration in 91 or 92.

Man, I miss those aircraft.

reply to post by paraclete1


They were talking about removing the 20mm, and going to a 30mm Bushmaster to make it even more deadly. There's just something about seeing that 105 sticking out the side of one of those beasts though that is just incredible.

Hi, I am from around the Normal area and see these AC-130's all of the time as well. They are always practicing their attack/landings over here and I hear them every week. I constantly go and chase them in my car. There was about four weeks where I would speed out to the country and they would chase me down turning their belly like they were shooting. Around week 6 I started going around corners fast and reaching about 120 mph so I felt like I really had their attention. They would range from around the height of your picture to around 20,000 feet. The first time they swooped down on me made me jump because you literally can't hear the plane until it is on top of you..truly a Death From Above. No worries here my friend, just an exercise. Speaking of which I think they come here tomorrow or friday

They could have been flying around waiting to land at the airport. They use the c-130 to bring troops home that have been killed over seas. I live at Ft. Sill and i've seen them a few times even though we have artillary here and dont normally have planes fly over

They used to fly so low at my old house that I could the cargo master and the red on at night thru the open back door.

reply to post by KawRider9


From the looks of the picture the plane is turning. I used to live in Fort Worth and saw a lot of C130s flying that low, they're such big planes that when they turn they drop in altitude. If you live near an air base that could be an explanation. Another explanation is that they were doing drills for combat landings. I remember being in the back of one of those in Iraq and the combat landings were ridiculous, seriously scary as all get up. They point straight down and do some crazy banking turns and the plane just drops, then it climbs a bit and repeats until they're on target with the runway for a landing, all the while we're in the back in full gear getting tossed around like dice in a cup.

reply to post by KawRider9


You're in east peoria? I'm about 30 minutes north west on 74 from you.

reply to post by KawRider9
Enjoy this mate C130 doing some amazing manoveres..

Originally posted by Zaphod58
reply to post by KawRider9

 

It IS a C-130, I'm working on identifying the particular model based on your pics. But the only C-130 that *I* know of that had a spotlight setup on it was the RC-130, and that has been out of the inventory for years. Spotlights are Bad Things to carry on planes, unless it's a helicopter on a rescue mission. It lights them up for people with guns to shoot at. And they're usually moving too fast for them to do much good. Certain planes, like the P-3, or the British Nimrod have them, but they're usually on Antisubmarine missions, which means they don't have lots of people with guns shooting at them.

If you would, PM me a better location for where this was, and I can find out what C-130 bases are near you, and give you a better idea of what they might have been doing there.

edit on 7/4/2012 by Zaphod58 because: (no reason given)

It might be a Marine variant since they got the KC-130R and F variants when the Air Force rendered them obsolete. Most of the Marines have the KC-130J, but the reserve units still have the old variants. They're the only ones that can still support the UYQ-3.

Those pictures give me horrible memories of combat takeoffs and landings

reply to post by Equidae


There are only a couple of variants that have those pylons in front of the horizontal stabilizers though. That's a pretty distinctive feature.