The C-130 Hercules is legendary for its ungainly appearance and enthusiastic performance. In Vietnam, they routinely made assault landings on 2600 foot strips made of dirt, aluminum, steel and occasionally even asphalt. Some strips, like 2900 foot Katum, were literally wide spots in an old road which had been patched up enough to bear a 100 foot long, 130,000 pound Herk. Considering that the actual takeoff and landing distance was about 1800', you had to respect any airplane's ability to haul a load off the ground in just 18 times its own length. Make no mistake, the Herk was both a workhorse and a rodeo pony.
The 50th TAS 25 year old crew worked hard but enjoyed a singular camaraderie and cohesion. They knew they had some eyes on them, but enjoyed themselves when they could. Pat Hatch kept things interesting: he could take this big airplane which looks like it needs a gentle final approach, and slip it from 4,000 feet up just 1/4 mile from the runway, kissing it right on the sweet spot. Was that legal, Pat?
Late one gentle, sunny afternoon, flying "feet wet" along the lovely Vietnamese coast, we took turns dangling our feet over the lowered back ramp, 200 feet above the water. Are you sure that was legal, Pat?
June 19, 1968 was Loadmaster Jerry Willard's 20th birthday, so we gave him what he really wanted: zero gravity astronaut training. Pat put a pencil in the plastic chart holder on the glare shield and executed a high speed parabolic arc "over the top" which kept the pencil floating gently while Willard did too, tethered in the cargo bay. Jon didn't believe it was possible until his Nav Bag floated off the floor. We never even asked if that was legal. Later we sang Happy Birthday to Jerry over the intercom.
The 3 officers and 2 airmen got along well because their mental arteries hadn't yet hardened.
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