Need help on C-130Js Transporting Helicopters

[Camo]

Hey Guys,

I'm planning to make a diaroma involving a couple of MH-6 Little Birds being loaded onto a C-130J. I'm trying to find out how exactly the little birds are dissasembled for this kind of transport. Alternatively I was also thinking of maybe a Huey or a blackhawk, but i'm not entirely sure if blackhawks are transported in the hercules or not, and if they are, how are they transported?

I've done as much as searching as possible and the only pictures i've been able to find is of a little bird already actually loaded up not showing wear the rotors are kept and stuff, and a model on the ARC gallery of a c-130 with a huey already loaded up...

Any help would be greeeeatly appreciated.

Cheers,

Camo

[C-130CrewChief]

I have seen them load up into an MC-130. It took about 2 minutes with the (Herks) engines running. They couldn't have taken it apart very much. I wish I would have payed attention more, but it was the middle of the night and I was supprised at what I was seeing.

Curt

[Camo]

Cheers Curt

Was this the Little Bird? or a blackhawk/Huey?

Either way, i found 2 MH-6 helicopters at the LHS last week, was thinking of putting them with an MD500 i picked up earlier on in the year. With the setup being 2 built and ready to go, and the 3rd being dragged out of the herc..

I assume they'd take the rotors off the MH-6 as well...And how do they move it about? on a flat trolley or something?

Cheers again,

Camo

Edit: Found these photos which should help me a bit i think

Edited December 2, 2008 by Camo

[C-130CrewChief]

It was a litte bird and it seemed like everybody. even the guys riding on the skids helped fold it up.

Curt

[Camo]

Oh, so they actually just folded the rotors back instead of taking them off?

And i just noticed the little wheels on the back skids for moving it around...

[CHEYENNE56]

Some Defenders being test fitted into a C-130....about 1982

[CHEYENNE56]

3

Edited December 8, 2008 by CHEYENNE56

[C-130CrewChief]

Yup the blades were folded. I remember one or two guys grabing the tail boom and pulling the nose up while the other guys pushed it on the little wheels. You can see the folded rotor blades in your first pic.

Curt

[Fred Garvin]

Yep. You'll see a set of pins just forward of the rear skid support on each skid. That's where those wheels attach. You take a hollow torque bar and slip it over a hinge pin on the wheels and pivot the wheels until they're in place under the skid. Actually one person can move a littlebird around as the wheels are positioned perfectly with respect to CG. Anyway, all it takes is to reef down on the tail stinger to pick the nose up. Then when you get her balanced you can basically drive her around where you want her. When you get there, let the tail up (front of the skids down) and there you are. The blades fold as well as the weapons/pax planks. The planks fold up 90 degrees from the cabin floor line so that they're right up against the main cabin openings or doors. Sometimes the actual pods (I've only seen the 7 shot FFAR tubes) are removed but somehow attached/packaged between the planks (when folded) and the fuselage (at least it looked that way to me). If memory serves the M-134s were always removed from the plank mounts for transport. That was basically it as far as I can remember. Obviously when pushing it up the ramp of a Herk or a -141, etc., then you'd want a couple of dudes to horse her around and not ding the receiver aircraft or the Helo. My observations are based on what I saw in Somalia.

Yup the blades were folded. I remember one or two guys grabing the tail boom and pulling the nose up while the other guys pushed it on the little wheels. You can see the folded rotor blades in your first pic.

Curt

Edited December 8, 2008 by Fred Garvin

[Camo]

Wow, awesome, thanks a lot guys!!! and thanks for that pic of all the defenders cheyenne56

Just a couple more questions

Do they do anything to the tail rotor? at all? ie - fold it up, take it off?

and

Any idea if they still transport defenders and little birds around via the hercules?

Cheers a whole heap,

Camo

[Fred Garvin]

Nothing to that tail rotors but the horizontal stab/wing/tail (whatever you call it) was removed when I saw them loaded for transport.

Seen them loaded on an MC-130E before (the internal benson tank was removed) but all the other times they were loaded on C-141Bs or C-5s. Again, this is 1993-1998. I'm sure now a C-17 would be the transport of preference. By the way the MC-130E had two, One facing forward and one facing the rear towards the ramp. The tails might have been side by side (didn't really pay attention to this stuff back then).

Wow, awesome, thanks a lot guys!!! and thanks for that pic of all the defenders cheyenne56

Just a couple more questions

Do they do anything to the tail rotor? at all? ie - fold it up, take it off?

and

Any idea if they still transport defenders and little birds around via the hercules?

Cheers a whole heap,

Camo

[jakal lm]

The guy in the brown flight suit is my bud Danny Dean...retired MC-130E loadmaster. That picture was taken here at Kirtland in our fuselage trainer. The 2 little birds are loaded nose first on the lead helicopter and tail first on the second. The blades are folded and they are loaded across a special set of ramps called "canary slides". It is a set of 3 ramps that give a full loading area out the back of the airplane. They are offloaded in a couple of minutes and the 130 will move away and the crew will unfold the blades and crank it up and be in the air in minutes. It is a special operations qual for the MC-130E/H and probably the SOLL II C-17 guys. It will be a MC-130J mission in a few years when they come on line.