The 179th Air Lift Wing, stationed at KMFD (Mansfield Lahm Regional airport....basically three miles from where I sit) is losing their C-130 Hercs this year, as the planes are redistributed to active USAF air wings. The replacement for the C-130, at least for a few years, was set to be the C-21...basically a Lear Business Jet with Air Force stickers slapped on it. 2013 the C-21s were to be replaced with brand new C-27J Spartans.
I dread the day that the skies around here are no longer filled with the sound of the Hercs....an amazing sound when 3 or 4 of them come flying over my house at low altitude shortly after taking off from runway 14....but I dread hearing the Lear doing the same thing even more....I can not stand the sound of Lear aircraft.
Today, while in the local Big Lots store to pick up some potting soil and tomato stakes, I happened to get a chance to talk a member of the 179th. He told me that things are rolling along faster than originally planned and that, while a few C-21s will be coming to KMFD (a couple are already there for transitional flights), the 179th is set to receive a brand new, sparkly clean C-27J Spartan as early as August or September of this year with more to come next year!
OBIO
Oh, I also told him that I fly the Herc out of KMFD in FS9...and that I will NOT be transitioning to the C-21. He thought it was cool that at least one person will still be flying the Herc in the name of the 179th. From the way he sounded, they are not at all happy about losing their Hercs.
I dread the day that the skies around here are no longer filled with the sound of the Hercs....an amazing sound when 3 or 4 of them come flying over my house at low altitude shortly after taking off from runway 14....but I dread hearing the Lear doing the same thing even more....I can not stand the sound of Lear aircraft.
Today, while in the local Big Lots store to pick up some potting soil and tomato stakes, I happened to get a chance to talk a member of the 179th. He told me that things are rolling along faster than originally planned and that, while a few C-21s will be coming to KMFD (a couple are already there for transitional flights), the 179th is set to receive a brand new, sparkly clean C-27J Spartan as early as August or September of this year with more to come next year!
OBIO
Oh, I also told him that I fly the Herc out of KMFD in FS9...and that I will NOT be transitioning to the C-21. He thought it was cool that at least one person will still be flying the Herc in the name of the 179th. From the way he sounded, they are not at all happy about losing their Hercs.
