A Long Haul In A Hercules - Part 1

By Joe Thompson (15 January 2006)

Show time at Osaka's Kansai Airport (RJBB/KIX) is 0430 LT (Local Time) and we're scheduled off the blocks at 0630. After flying cargo in Japan for the better part of three weeks we now have to re-position our C-130H (N360MC - Call Sign: Chart 60) to Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport (UUEE/SVO), a trip of over 7,500 NM. Our airline, Mercator (http://www.flymercator.com) has negotiated a long-term logistics support contract with Aeroflot to haul cargo within Russia and to many of the Confederation of Independent States (CIS) - the now independent satellite states of the former Soviet Union. A steady backlog of freight has overwhelmed Aeroflot's capacities which led to the Mercator contract. It was going to be interesting work. The last time I flew in Russia was 1986. Then it was the Soviet Union and a lot has changed. I hoped that the bureaucratic maze associated with flying in Russian airspace had also become less complicated over time. Time would tell.

Due to the lengths of some of the routes we also needed a jet freighter to assist 60MC. This is where N871MC came into the picture. She was our DC-8-71F and had been moved to Moscow by a crew out of Frankfurt. They were already "hauling trash" while we made the long transit to join them.

My crew consisted of Brian Sullivan - Co-Captain, Tim Drake - Navigator, Walter 'Wrench' McGrew - Flight Engineer, and Pete Fritz - Loadmaster. Brian and I would alternate the Pilot Flying (PF) and Pilot Not Flying (PNF) duties. Brian, Tim, and I had all flown Herks in the military, though not together. Brian had flown LC-130s for VXE-6 out of Point Mugu on Antarctic support missions, so he was our resident 'cold weather' guru. 'Wrench' and Pete had logged their time with civilian carriers including Southern Air Transport, all over the globe.

Cargo drops were scheduled in Hong Kong (VHHH/HKG) and Cochin, India (VOCI/COK) and a cargo pickup in Tehran (OIII/THR). The trip profile called for two very long flight days; on the first day we would briefly stop in Hong Kong for a cargo drop and fuel and then on to Cochin, where we planned a 36 hour layover.

First Leg: Osaka to Hong Kong
1,491 NM - Flight Time: 5+21
RJBB/KIX - KRE - SUC - TJE - ONC - NHC - MYC - HCN - ELATO - TD - VHHH/HKG

With weather and fuel checked and the dispatch release signed we climb aboard 'Chart 60'. There is that feeling of excitement prior to heading out, and it is especially true for a trip of this magnitude. We secure our personal gear aft and settle in on the flight deck, stowing our gear bags within easy reach. Soon we have run through our initial battery of checklists, and have the four engines purring loudly in the background. Osaka Ground clears us off our stand at 0634 and the adventure begins. Prior to leaving the cargo ramp area, we cock the aircraft's nose into the wind and performed our run-up checks. I center the nosewheel and set the brakes, while Brian ensures the yoke is off the stops and keeps a watchful eye outside. 'Wrench' and I then check the engines at ground idle, flight idle, and at 8,000 in-lbs, noting engine instrument fluctuations and torque at each power setting. With the run-up complete we head for the active. Early morning ground chatter fills our headsets as the airport tempo quickens with the advent of a new day.

Runway 24 is the active so we have a straight out departure. No need to twist and turn to conform to some Departure Procedure (DP) that adds, at some airports, considerable time to the trip. We switch from ground to tower frequency at the active and receive clearance: "Chart Six-Zero cleared into position and hold." We move into position, straddling the centerline, and switch on the landing light as a B747 lifts off ahead of us. "Chart Six-Zero cleared for takeoff runway 24, straight out departure approved, maintain runway heading until 4000' contact..." Clearance is acknowledged. With brakes held, I smoothly apply takeoff thrust and Wrench places his hand just below mine on the throttles and fine tunes the takeoff setting. We quickly glance at the engine instruments, then I'm off the brakes and the 4,910 SHP Allison T56-A-15 engines quickly accelerated us down the runway. Brian calls "rotate" at 113 KIAS and I applied backpressure to the yoke and we begin to fly. "Oh, I have slipped the surly bounds of earth, and danced the skies..." The haunting, opening refrain from John Gillespie Magee's famous poem 'High Flight' always seems so appropriate at this moment.

We climb out over Osaka Wan (Bay), a vast expanse of slate gray water, and in the increasing morning light we can see lights below going dark as the Japanese awake to another day. By the time the commuter traffic gets really horrendous we will be down islands in the vicinity of Okinawa, in bright sunshine and blue skies with an occasional puffy cloud to keep us company.

The period immediately after takeoff is extremely hectic. There are additional checklists to complete and rapid fire radio chatter as you go from talking to the tower to departure, then the various sectors assigned to the Center. Everyone is all business as we maintain a sterile cockpit up to 10,000' AGL (absolutely no conversations not related to the safe operation of the aircraft). As we climb, the upper winds increase and it looks like the forecast for a stiff breeze out of the west will hold true. We're initially cleared to FL180 and then later cleared up to our planned cruising altitude of FL240.

I remove the seatbelt sign at 10,000', shoulder harnesses are unfastened and we begin to settle into the routine. We angle southwestward from the main islands that comprise Japan, over flying the spine of the Ryukyu Islands with the East China Sea on our right wingtip, and the Philippine Sea off our left. This enroute leg is uneventful and we finally arrive at the southern tip of Taiwan, which is our turn point (TP) to commence our track towards mainland China.

About 65 NM out from Tung Lung VOR (TD) we're cleared out of FL240 for FL160 and then 30 DME from TD they clear us down to 8,000'. Hong Kong's ATIS is reporting light and variable winds, 6 NM visibility in haze, and they're using runway 07 right and left this morning. We're cleared to land on 07R and in short order we're at 3,000' AGL. With the large Fowler flaps dragging in the breeze, landing gear down - '3 green' - and the landing light illuminated to announce our presence to other aircraft, we come in over the threshold and I plant 'Chart 60' on the runway - just long of the 'piano-keys.' Reverse thrust is applied to slow our progress, and as we slow and turn-off, flaps are retracted, light secured and a few minutes later we're parked at the cargo terminal.

We block in at 1055 LT. This first leg took 5+21. Now we need a quick turn; the cargo ramp comes down, cargo tie downs are removed and the fuel truck is already parked near our stand. We have an hour on deck so every minute counts.

Second Leg: Hong Kong to Cochin
2,496 NM - Flight Time 8+14
VHHH/HKG - CH - DAGON - CAVOI - DAN - UBl - KRT - BKK - DWI - PPB - MMV - CCB - DONDI - DONDI - VOCI/COK

An hour later and we're ready to roll. Brian will fly this leg, so I settled in with the PNF chores. We're off the blocks at 1200 LT. The earlier haze has burned off, and after a short taxi we're at the active (07R) and ready for departure. Once again, the exhilaration of takeoff ushers us skyward. Gear and flaps are retracted on schedule and the landing light secured as we go through the "after takeoff" checklist. Banking gently to the right we pass over Cheung Chau VOR and climb out over the South China Sea. As Hong Kong slips away off our port quarter, we are accompanied by a crescendo of radio traffic and the melodious drone of the four Allison engines.

Soon we're cruising at FL240 and basking in the sunlight that streams into the cockpit. There aren't many fixed wing aircraft that afford the panoramic view that one gets from a Hercules flight deck. With windows everywhere, it is truly amazing and you can even look down past your feet to see what's below. You can also see what's rushing up to greet you in more emergent situations too!

We fly southwestward over the South China Sea and then China's Hainan Island comes into view off our right nose. On the backside of Hainan is the Gulf of Tonkin. Slowly the coast of Viet Nam appears in our view, and we coast in over Da Nang and head for our next waypoint (WP): Ubon, in Thailand. Pete now joins us on the flight deck and we all stare out a window in silence, only occasionally interrupted by a 'Nam anecdote from one of us veterans or a call from Hochiminh Control. The irony is not lost on us as we fly over Viet Nam. And it fell silent again.

Three hours and twenty-five minutes into the flight we pass over Bangkok and bank right to track outbound to the Thai coast. Tim looks up from his chart and asks, "Yeh, Joe weren't you down here in Bangkok a few months ago hauling boxes around in our [Mercator] DC-6?" That question causes me to reflect a moment on an earlier adventure. After crossing the west coast of Thailand, we motor 351 NM's over the Andaman Sea to Port Blair (PPB), the capital of the Andaman Islands. From PPB we will continue westward over the Bay of Bengal for another 741 NM to the Indian coast.

Over LULDA, a compulsory reporting point on G465, we check in with Chennai Radio on High Frequency (HF) and pass our ETA overhead Port Blair. Upon reaching Port Blair, 'Chart 60' banks gently to the right. After this heading change, Brian gives me the aircraft so he can go in the back, get a bite to eat and stretch his legs. The horizon is a soft line interrupted only by a faint wisp of a cloud here and there, and the old Herk continues to wing westward. The sun feels good on the side of my face. Life is good. Flying is even better.

Sometime later Brian slips back into his seat, buckles up and takes control of the aircraft once more. Tim swivels his seat around from his navigator's table and informs us that it looks like we will coast in over Chennai (Madras), India in 1+45 if the light upper winds hold. Chennai is located in the state of Tamil Nadal, the southeastern area of India. Cochin is located in the neighboring state of Kerala, occupying the southwestern tip of India.

Pete now appears back on the flight deck clutching a dog-eared "Traveler's Pocket Guide to Kerala". "Hey, listen to this, and he begins to read, "'Cochin is set on a cluster of islands and narrow peninsulas. The port city of Cochin reflects the eclecticism of Kerala perfectly. With a rich past and a bustling present, it has been the business hub of the region from the very early days after Alleppey... "'. It's been over 12 hours since we left Osaka at this juncture and my butt is feeling the strain and I'm sure that Allep-what's-his-name will forgive me but I plan on hitting the sack as soon as humanly possible once we land.

The clouds now begin to thicken and turn a darker tone of gray. Occasionally streaks of heat lightning can be seen in the distance. We're about an hour from the coast and we were briefed that as we approached India the weather would deteriorate. We're painting a few heavier cells on the radar now but they are off to the side of our track so we'll just have to keep an attentive eye on the scope as we bear down on the coast.

Finally the Indian coast appears off the nose and a little over 7 hours into the flight we pass over the city of Chennai (Madras). At our turn point we commence to track southwestward towards Coimbatore. The sun continues her precipitous slip towards the western horizon and the sun visors get repositioned to soften the blinding rays. I prop my feet up on the foot-rests below my instrument panel and pull my headset off for a moment to massage my ears and head. And the wail of the Allisons, now much louder without my ears muffled, seems to be announcing our arrival over India.

We tune in Cochin VOR and make it active in NAV2 and the RMI needle swings abruptly forward and points just left of our nose. A toggle of the audio switch for NAV2 confirms the proper station in Morse code. The DME 2 indicator tells us we are just under 140 NM from a hot shower, a good meal - hopefully - and sleep. Cochin ATIS is reporting calm winds, 2 NM visibility in haze with light rain and a 9,000' broken ceiling.

We start our letdown, run through the checklists and set up for the approach. Cochin is using runway 27 this day so we're on an exaggerated right base to intercept the centerline. Passing through 6,000' we enter thick haze and the visibility plummets. However, in a short period of time we're on the runway, turn off, taxi in and shutdown. Our on-block time is 1744 local and a steady drizzle is falling.

Our ground liaison in Cochin was Mr. G.T. Jeevan, the station manager for Sri Lankan Airlines. He is dutifully waiting on the tarmac for us with several umbrellas in hand. "Welcome to Cochin". After we get the aircraft secured G.T. escorts us to Customs & Immigration. After a quick, perfunctory trip through, where our passports and visas are inspected we are whisked away to our hotel. I can feel the hot shower and clean sheets already. Man, it's been a hellva' long day and I'm bushed!

[Rejoin us in Part Two as we leave Cochin, fly to Tehran then onward to our ultimate destination - Moscow.]

AIRCRAFT:
Lockheed C-130H
Mike Stone - Aircraft Designer
Mercator livery design & repaint by the author.

PANEL:
C-130 Original Panel by Clive Ryan - Views by Steve Moore
Panel modifications by the author.

PART 1 SCENERY:
Osaka - Kansai Int'l
Kazuhiro Miyazaki - Designer
File: KANSAI4.ZIP
FS2002 v1.0

Hong Kong - Chep Lok Int'l
Thomas Kwong - Designer
File: VHHH05B.ZIP
FS2004

Hong Kong Autogen Buildings
Eddie Chan - Designer
File: HKBLDGS2.ZIP
FS2004 v2.0

Cochin - Cochin Int'l
Praveen C. Pillai - Designer
File: CIAL.ZIP
FS2002/FS2004 v1.0

CHARTS:
Osaka, Japan
http://www.vatjpn.org/index_e.htm

Hong Kong
http://www.vatroc.org/english/charts/vhhh_new.htm

Cochin, India
http://www.ivao.org/specops/worldtour/Worldtour_new.asp

Global Enroute & Planning & DOD FLIP Manuals
http://www.apscharts.com/

Comments are always welcomed by the author.

Joe Thompson
ceo@flymercator.com