Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Transall
Aircraft Model: C-160
Aircraft Nickname: Anybody know?
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Turboprop
Category: Airplane
Class: Multi Engine Land
Engine Description: Twin Engine

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown:
Date First Flown: 06/29/1989
Location First Flown: Manching
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: German Flight Test Center, Manching

Aircraft Experience
As of: 06/06/2020
Number of Hours Flown: 1
Number of Times Flown: 1
Other Aircraft Models Associated:

Recollections: This flight was conducted as a Qualitative Evaluation (QE) during a USNTPS Staff Field trip which went to the UK (Empire Test Pilot School), Germany (German Flight Test Center in Manching), Switzerland (Swiss Test Center in Stans and Emmen), and France (French Test Pilot School–EPNER). During this trip–designed to foster international working relationships between Test Pilot schools, test pilots and flight test centers–I flew 5 new (to me) aircraft in the course of a week, including gliders, fast jets and turbroprops.

Unfortunately, my notes and memories of this flight in the C-160 Transall are sparse. I do recall that the airplane was solid and–as a P-3 guy–I felt at home. Next stop: Switzerland.

Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Lockheed
Aircraft Model: C130
Aircraft Nickname: Hercules
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Turboprop
Category: Airplane
Class: Multi Engine Land
Engine Description: Twin Engine

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown:
Date First Flown: 01/09/1991
Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: VMR-352, Andy L

Aircraft Experience
As of: 07/29/2020
Number of Hours Flown: 12
Number of Times Flown: 8
Other Aircraft Models Associated: KC-130, L-382, L-100

Recollections:

–The P-3 and the C-130 share the same engines (though one of them is “upside down” compared to the other…a source of debate between Orion and Hercules pilots) but that’s where the similarity stops. The C-130 is the “pickup truck” of large airplanes, tough and capable.
–I ended up flying a KC-130 with a Marine Corps refueling squadron, VMGR-352. This was right before Desert Storm and the Marines had been working on a project to include defensive counter-measures onto the KC-130. It was being tested at NAS Patuxent River and my skipper at TPS (“Big Bob” Price) suggested that a few of us accompany him on the airplane to finish the project and get it over into the theatre “in case it was needed”. I had familiarity with the defensive systems installed on the “one of a kind” KC-130 at Pax River, because they were very similar to a project I’d assisted with on the P-3 (both airplanes can use whatever defensive help they can get!).
–I flew the airplane 8 times (I believe first transiting to Bahrain, then doing some local training sorties out of Bahrain and, finally, on the first wave of Operation Desert Storm, when I the opportunity to watch the professionals of the VMGR-352 “Raiders” fly what I remember as a 4-ship, night-time refueling mission that was just flat-out amazing. The threat from the Iraqi’s was briefed as being extensive but, in the end, the might of the US Military dwarfed any response.

Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Beechcraft
Aircraft Model: Model 200
Aircraft Nickname: King Air
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Turboprop
Category: Airplane
Class: Multi Engine Land
Engine Description: Twin Engine

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown:
Date First Flown: 08/31/1999
Location First Flown: NAS Patuxent River, MD
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Instrument proficiency with Dan Wells

Aircraft Experience
As of: 07/29/2020
Number of Hours Flown: 47
Number of Times Flown: 29
Other Aircraft Models Associated: C-12 Huron, B200GT, BE-200, Beech 250

Recollections:

–The 200 is probably my favorite of the King Air line. Bigger than the 90 but not too big.
–The Military operates the 200 as the “C-12 Huron” (another nickname I didn’t know about!)
–I flew it just a few times in the Navy, as it was introduced to the school replacing the U-21. Most of my flying in a 200 was after I retired from Navy…on a single certification project, flown with a company called AEROTEC, flying a 200 that was modified with a number of aerodynamic modifications, including Winglets, a new prop, a new inlet and other tweaks. This was all rolled up into the “Ultimate Performance Package” (UPP) that, I believe, was eventually sold to Beechcraft for inclusion on their production line.

Aircraft Information
Aircraft Make: Beechcraft
Aircraft Model: Model 90
Aircraft Nickname: King Air
Aircraft Mil Civ Description: Airplane ME Turboprop
Category: Airplane
Class: Multi Engine Land
Engine Description: Twin Engine

First Flown Information
Sequence First Flown:
Date First Flown: 05/27/2003
Location First Flown: KICT, Wichita, Kansas
Who and/or What Organization First Flown With: Aero Mach (Tach generator test)

Aircraft Experience
As of: 07/29/2020
Number of Hours Flown: 26
Number of Times Flown: 19
Other Aircraft Models Associated: A-90, C-90, E-90

Recollections: The smallest of the King Airs. As noted in my entry for T-44 and U-21, the distinction here between this model and other similar ones is sometimes unclear.

–Most of my pure-civilian experience on the “90” was on a Performance Credit program conducted in 2013. It was an interesting program, to say the least. Winglets were added to the 90, the wing was strengthened to allow for the movement of lift outward and a full program to define performance changes was conducted.