This Giant Aircraft Had No Business Landing on a Carrier

Описание: The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is one of the most successful military aircraft ever built, serving continuously since the 1950s and still in production today. Designed as a rugged tactical transport, the C-130 has operated from rough airstrips, ice fields, and remote forward bases around the world.

But in the early 1960s, the U.S. Navy pushed the Hercules even further.

In 1963, the Navy tested whether a largely unmodified C-130 could safely take off and land on an aircraft carrier. The trials were conducted aboard the USS Forrestal, one of the largest carriers ever built. Without catapults or arresting gear, the C-130 relied entirely on its wing design, turboprop power, and precise pilot control to operate from a moving ship at sea.

Flown by Navy test pilot James Flatley III, the tests proved the Hercules could land in remarkably short distances and launch safely from the carrier deck—stunning observers and redefining what a transport aircraft was capable of.

Although the Navy ultimately chose not to pursue carrier-based transport operations, the experiment cemented the C-130’s reputation as one of the most versatile aircraft ever flown.

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