Devin Ross' father is an Air Force Reserve and thought the troop would enjoy a trip to the Minneapolis Air Force Base which is also located at the Minneapolis/Saint Paul Airport.
We toured the inside of a C-130 Hercules. The boys saw the cockpit and the cargo area. They were even strapped into the seats and pretended to be going off to war. (Sound effects included)
We were taken through the paint shop, metal shop, mechanics bay and the engine repair area. With special access we were able to go out on "the line" which is where the planes sit and is heavily secured.
Unfortunately for the boys, we were not given a ride on the C-130.
The pictures above are of the first C-130 we toured. There were mechanics in the cargo area working on some repairs.
Below is a different C-130 that was outside. We learned about how military vehicles are strapped in and parashoot out. How lazors on each side of the tail (shown in the picture above - object to the right of the star) pinpoint a designated spot on the ground and the parashoot is able to follow that lazor and land within feet of its destined location. Amazing technology!
It take four people to fly this plane. The Pilot, Co-Pilot, Navigator and the Engineer. The Engineer is responsible for knowing when to push each of the thousand plus switches and what each do.
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| Cody, Devin, Trey and Jacob |
| The tail (closed) |
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| The seats were our soldiers sit when in flight. Although some apparently sleep on the floor between the roller rails. Can't be comfortable while in turbulance. |
Seth was not able to attend this trip but Devin's father said he would take Seth up for his own turn.
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