Combat Airlifter - 440th Airlift Wing

FeatureStill serving ... clipped wings and allDespite being “retired,” 440th C-130 continues to serve in GWOTby Lt. Col. Ann Peru KnabeHave you ever thought about what happens toan aircraft when it “retires?”440th Reservists often see Airmen retire, but seldomthink about the retirement of the C-130sthey flew.Aircraft #560496, a C-130A model, was replacedwith a C-130H in 1989 when the 440th receivedits new fleet of modern aircraft.A workhorse in the military world, aircraft #496wasn’t destined for the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. Instead, the C-130 “lives” a rich legacy, and is still serving theArmy and Air Force today at the U.S. ArmyYuma Proving Ground in Yuma , Ariz.“The aircraft came off the line at Lockheed in1957,” said Mark Heflin, the current caretakerof the C-130. “When the aircraft arrived at itsfirst duty station of Ardmore AFB, Okla., inlate 1957 it was one of the newest aircraft inTactical Airlift Command and was selected asa ‘camera ship’ for filming of a movie called‘The Hunters.’”In 1959, #496 was transferred to Sewart AFB,Tenn. From 1962-1970 the C-130 was assignedto the 817th Tactical Airlift Squadron at NahaAir Base, Okinawa. The “bird” flew multiplemissions in Vietnam. In 1971, the aircraft wasreturned to the U.S. and the 374th Tactical AirliftWing was disbanded, so the aircraft was given tothe Air Force Reserve. Aircraft #496 remainedwith the 440th Airlift Wing from Sept. 1971through August 1989.But the aircraft didn’t die when it “retired” fromthe 95th Airlift Squadron in Milwaukee .“A whole batch of A-models were getting turnedin, and the Air Force offered them up to the U.S.Forest service to fight fires,” said Mr. Heflin,who serves as the operations officer for the AirborneTest Force at the Yuma Proving Grounds.“The Forest Service took the planes, but didn’thave a budget to operate them. So the C-130swere sold to industry under a certification thatPage 12 The Combat Airlifter June 2008