Things Seen Along The Highways Of America

[dr_phil_physics]

Yes, I've Been Very Quiet Here Lately

I just made it back from my third round-trip drive to Greensboro NC, after the ones on Thanksgiving and New Years. This one was less than scheduled, shall we say, but it was necessary. Thankfully I had good driving weather 3 of 4 days there and back. I'm sure I'll post more about my travels, because I took a lot of pictures along the way.

This Was Not Expected

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a workhorse. No question. The four-engine military cargo hauler is one tough sonofabitch. I know that they've made carrier landings and take-offs. And...

In 2007, the C-130 became the fifth aircraft—after the English Electric Canberra, B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95, and KC-135 Stratotanker—to mark 50 years of continuous use with its original primary customer, in this case, the United States Air Force. The C-130 is also the only military aircraft to remain in continuous production for 50 years with its original customer, as the updated C-130J Super Hercules.

I used to regularly see C-130s flying around Chicago -- along with Navy P2 Orions -- and used to see C-130s taxiing at Chicago's O'Hare field.

But I've never thought about the size of them before, or thought about putting one on a flatbed and driving it around. Good thing I had a 20mm ultra wide angle handy for the Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n so I could get it all in one shot. (grin)

Click on photo for high res.

This was at a rest stop in Ohio on I-75. I was going to drive around in front and get a cockpit on face view -- but I couldn't pull off the exit road because there was no shoulder and I didn't like the one foot hard drop-off. (evil grin)

Now for my idea for a kick-ass RV conversion van...

Dr. Phil

Comments

[rymrytr.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of a big fat grub worm! :o)

My favOrite older plane is the B-52 (with the Hound dawg missles in place). :o)

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Huh... Immediately I think of my favorite guilty pleasure SF movie, Starship Troopers, and them hauling out the brainbug...

Thanks a lot for that image.

The BUFF with a Hounddog is one thing. Using a B-52 to carry aloft the X-15? Priceless. (grin)

One time in the U.P., I was coming down a hill in Hancock and was stunned to be looking down on a B-52, which was very low over the Portage Canal and about to do a flyover of Dollar Bay MI. (grin) For a parade. (yikes)

Dr. Phil

[rymrytr.livejournal.com]

At 14 years old, we moved from WA State to near Pensacola, FLA. My Dad worked for Boeing and they had the Hound Dog Contract, so they sent us to Florida to do the work. At that age, I was duly impressed when those big fat bombers would fly over. Even had the requisite Plastic Model in my Bed Room.

I changed schools 17 times in 12 grades. Construction at first, then the Hound Dog and then the Minute Man Missiles. Some of the changes were at School A, then six weeks at School B and then, back to A. In Fla it was Junior High then High School, so I count that as two.

I never attended the same school, more than one year in a row, but would go back to some of them, when we would come back to Seattle before going back out.

When I graduated and moved out on my own, I just kept traveling. I would work Seasonal jobs, or Warehouses, logging, mining, Security Guard, Store Detective, Fruit Orchards, Packing Houses (Fruit; Meat) and toward the end, Steel Shops. I was 42 when I went back to College, got my degree and a desk job! :o)

[dr-phil-physics.livejournal.com]

Always fascinating to hear of different people's experiences. I had a friend in college who grew up in Omaha. When they'd hear the alert sirens at the SAC base, they'd ride their bicycles to the end of the runway, just beyond the fence line, and lie on the ground and watch the B-52s take off right over them, shaking the very ground with their thunder. They thought it was cool.

Me? My Cub Scout troop did a field trip one time to the local Nike-Hercules missile base. Watched the missile launchers pop up out of the ground. Saw the barkless guard dogs. Big Cold War fun.

Dr. Phil