It’s been 60 years since the first flight of the Hercules prototype. More on that story here:
On Aug. 23, 1954, a plane took off from the Lockheed plant in Burbank, California, for a flight that would have great impact on the military and Middle Georgia.
It was the first flight of the C-130 Hercules prototype. The bulky, propeller-driven aircraft looked behind its time in an era when sleek jet planes were the new thing in aviation. No one imagined the many uses and longevity the plane would have.
Famed Lockheed designer Kelly Johnson was one skeptic. He predicted that only 100 C-130s would be built. As of this year, the total production number is about 2,500, according to Lockheed Martin. The company was Lockheed when the C-130 first flew and later merged with Martin.
The C-130 is still being produced today, as it has been from the start, at the company’s plant in Marietta. The company says it has been continuously produced longer than any aircraft in military history. It is commonly referred to as the “workhorse” of the Air Force.
Robins Air Force Base has been the caretaker of the Air Force’s C-130s since the first production plane was delivered in 1956. The base does modifications, overhaul maintenance and worldwide management on the many variations of the C-130.
Read more here: http://www.macon.com/2014/08/22/3263230_60-years-after-first-flight-c.html?rh=1#storylink=cpy
