acoker@ub.d.umn.edu (alyce coker) (04/27/89)
From: acoker@ub.d.umn.edu (alyce coker) I just happened to see a c-130 flying out of the Duluth Air National Guard. I was wondering what is the reason that it has props and not jet engines?
aws@vax3.iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) (04/28/89)
From: aws@vax3.iti.org (Allen W. Sherzer) In article <5980@cbnews.ATT.COM> acoker@ub.d.umn.edu (alyce coker) writes: I just happened to see a c-130 flying out of the Duluth Air National Guard. I was wondering what is the reason that it has props and not jet engines? It does have jet engines (it's a turboprop). Allen ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Allen Sherzer | DON'T BUILD MORE NUKES | | aws@iti.org | until we use the ones we have. | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
bsmart@uunet.UU.NET (Bob Smart) (04/28/89)
From: vrdxhq!vrdxhq.verdix.com!bsmart@uunet.UU.NET (Bob Smart) In article <5980@cbnews.ATT.COM>, acoker@ub.d.umn.edu (alyce coker) writes: > > I just happened to see a c-130 flying out of the Duluth Air National > Guard. I was wondering what is the reason that it has props and not > jet engines? The C-130 was designed in the early 1950's when Jets had very poor low speed performance. It was designed as a Tactical transport meaning that it could land on unprepared runways and use very short runways. Given the rough field criteria and the short takeoff requirement turbo- prop was chosen there is not as much danger of FOD ( foriegn object damage) in a turboprop as in a pure jet. The C-130 also is capable of using JATO ( Jet assisted take off) bottles - expendable strap on booster units that were used on first +second generation jets also. The C-130 is very good at what it does, in fact it is the de-facto DC-3/C-47 replacement everyone kept looking for in the late 50's and all thru the 60's. They have attempted to replace the C-130 in 1977 I saw the Boeing & McDonnell- Douglas aircraft ( YC-14 & YC 15) doing demonstrations to the Air Force. Both were high bypass fan-jets and were very impressive but so was their price ( at least to the Carter administration) and it was cheaper to keep building C-130s. Bob Smart (bsmart@verdix.com)