C130 Hercules Beach Landing

RAF C130 Lands and Departs from Saunton Sands, Devon
It is a Royal Air Force C130K C3.
Tail Number XV299.
www.raf.mod.uk/...
The beach is Saunton Sands in Devon, England.
51° 6'48.16"N 4°13'17.41"W
For those who doubt the location check out the Panoramio photo at the lat and long above on Google Earth titled Saunton Sands Hotel, you will see the hotel in the background on the video at the end of the landing rollout 31secs into video.
Hope this helps.

[@dptcruiser]

C-130 Love the sound. Lived with it for many years, LRAFB. Now that I am far away I must live the sound here on you tube.. It gives me goose bumps. I miss it so

[@jrossi9250]

I'm amazed that they didn't sink in the sand. I've flown a Cessna182RG on a wet turf runway and got stuck. Sand changes in texture with every movement of the tide. Great Vid. J R

[@connberkshire]

C-130's were the oldest planes in the US Navy fleet when I was in the USN in the early 80's- They're so well-built that many of the early airframes are still in service. I wouldn't be surprised to see them still in service for another 20-30 years. THAT'S what happens when you build a quality product!!!

[@leeman1986oct]

I have been down to Saunton and seen the Hercules land many times. It's an amazing sight!

[@arcturas9]

I stay with relatives who live the other side of the headland visible in the background in a village called Croyde and can confirm that RAF Hercules have been using Saunton sands for these types of landing exercises for years! Just a mile away is RAF Chivenor and although now only a base for ASR Helicopters it is possible that advanced ground crews are sent there to prepare the sands for arrivals.

[@herk115]

I can assure you all that this is no fake. I was a USAF loadmaster in the 61st Airlift Squadron at Little Rock and the 115th Airlift Squadron at Van Nuys/Channel Islands, on E-models. We landed on everything from the Edwards lakebed, to loose clay in the Ozarks. I can assure you this vid is no J-model. There is no sound in the world more beautiful than a Herk with -7 or -15 engines in normal ground idle! Mr. Flaps50, can we have a stereo recording from inside? What an AWESOME video!

[@RobertGary1]

BTW: The 130 was specifically designed to land at unimproved fields. That's one of the reasons it has extra gear trucks, to distribute the load when landing on dirt and mud. In Vietnam the Americans landed the 130 in fields often, dropped supplies, backed up and took off again, all while taking fire.

[@kimbej2]

Flew a Hercules for 7 years out the 440th Tactical Airlift Wing in Milwaukee, WI... Such a solid, steady (and yes, noisy) bird. Very forgiving though and a bunch of fun on low level T.A. flights. The cows never seemed to get used to us being so low... I really mis the old girls :(

[@sjmachrihanish]

I'll wager that's the first time you aired that to the world! The only folk that don't make mistakes are the ones that don't do anything. Yeah, the C5 at the open day... we all shuffled in through the nose and it spewed us out down the tail ramp. How it all comes back: one hot summer at Gatow a flight of visiting RAF Dominie jets [navigator trainer versions of the HS125] got stuck as the tarmac melted. You would have thought the ramp was concrete! I wonder if Summit House is still there....

[@336kgf]

This is a very cool video. As an American, I compliment the RAF for having damn good pilots. Just as good as ours if not better.

[@bigchiefmingingbolok]

this vid was taken on saunton sands beach, north devon, england, i lived a few miles down the road in braunton, there used to be an raf base down the road, so we used to see all manner of planes, now its a marine base, and i once saw a herc land on the same beach and drop a load of blokes off, cool as!!!

[@Elkan65]

Se pasó,no sabia de que tambien tuviera estas prestaciones de aterrizar en la arena.Fabuloso!

[@dptcruiser]

The Scream of a P 51 the roar of a C 130 and the thunder of a race car what more could a girl want. LOVE IT

[@valanze28]

c130 are equiped with special tires and can handle, snow, mud, sand and rough floor! great machine!!

[@Cult1022]

great work of engineers and pilot! landing such a big plane on a soft (more or less) beach!!

[@pottersrevenge]

As a crew chief on one of these airframes, I can attest to the versatility of these birds. They can take off on just about any surface and just about any length of strip, given the possibility that a some JATO rockets might be needed.

[@sergeantsailorman]

Looks like just another nice day at the beach to me. I shudder at the work required to prevent saltwater corrosion in the wheel wells though. Great airplane. I was a C-130 Flight Engineer USAF.

[@Ryano7sexy]

That beach is about 5 mins down the road from me and every now and then I see the hercules land or take off from there, is proper awesome

[@seagull2000]

What an amazing plane! And amazing video, too. Very nice.

[@avenger007007]

sand, and areas with ruts, pot holes, and rocks. Those things are built to last. They are like the energizer bunny. Just keeps going and going and going.

[@landroversrs1]

andyroo89 : good question. The prop blades just change pitch which gives the reverse effect for braking, the props don't start turning in the other direction.

[@GarethNIreland]

Excellent video of a very capable aircraft, seen these things land and take-off from Shackleton Barracks, Ballykelly, NI

[@ritualghost]

C130s are awesome, they land those things everywhere

[@sjmachrihanish]

Isn't that where the Trislander lands regularly? Took a flight in a Herc from Gatow back in the early 70's. At take off I was sat at the back of the flight deck with a grand view of the runway ahead. Perhaps I have exaggerated this in my mind since, but after revving up the engines and releasing the brake, I swear the darn nose bounced well into the air in it's eagerness to get going! The crew flew us all round the Berlin airspace for a while, then went back to Gatow for some circuits & bumps.

[@Jetplane1123]

those props are like music to my ears!

[@jammmy24]

Simply no argument against the older designs,be it the Hercules,or even the solid and simple steam engine.This is what we need in terms of deploy able machinery (not a fan of war so rescue ops ,sci fi experiments and so on) ,so little impact on the environment in terms of mechanical requirements in terms of landing infrastructure and fantastic deployment opportunities.Great job by the people who designed it and the chaps flying it.Cheers

[@GBMairsoft]

Still flying. One of the most amazing aircraft in the world.

[@blunder15]

got to be one of the best beaches around

[@rogbrown1458]

It is. Rog

[@Volmedics]

Nice to seee that another pilot has joined the beach landing club!! HA! I did my first at 90 MILE beach in New Zealand. OOORAH!!

[@MAGICblackMICE]

Is that saunton sands cause I've seen Hercules land there before

[@PilotOfNorway91]

This just shows how endurable the C130 is. There is nothing the C130 can't on!! Never seen beach landings, but I've seen Ice landings lol...

[@Chyphor]

That thing is big...I'm not even kidding, wow.. You actually recorded this yourself? I imagine that would be immense.

[@FLY172M]

I was an control pilot for Lockheed Martin for about 15 years, and I remember landing on the most unforgiving ground to prove the durability of the C 130 and the other aircraft the produced.

[@tommydangerx]

Nice landings. Saunton Sands must have a pretty hard surface to be able to take the weight of that C-130. I noticed it's got a refueling probe... that's unique, because most USAF, USN and USMC C-130s don't have that feature. I say most. There are a few specialized C-130s that do have an aerial refueling capability. The RC-130 is the one, I think, or which ever one they use for recon and search and rescue.

[@HierNameneingeben]

They can change the pitch of the blades, so you have reverse thrust. The props do not change the turning direction.

[@lrsdjsa]

Jumped out of more than a couple. Great birds! Extremely versatile.

[@bruno84]

Beautiful sound!

[@armyqpzm]

one of the best planes ever made

[@soundslave]

@jhoelzler Yep. The Hercules is an amazing work-horse in both military and civilian applications. Over 50 years old and still moving people and cargo to places other planes can't even dream of going (if planes could dream hehe).

[@dud8112084]

thats amazing i didnt know that was possible i got to see these fly before

[@jamesembertonphotography]

Good Video Mate I've Been Devon A Few Times And Never Seen A C130 Land

[@DannyFoden]

No this is a regular occurance, this beach is often frequented by this herc. it's a special forces bird

[@avenger007007]

The C130 was built to land in areas with no established run way. All the pilot needs is a place that is relatively flat and they can put it down in that area. Put jato rockets on em and the pilot can take off in in a very short space.

[@FPVsean]

beautiful plane, we used to have one parked here in dublin (eidw), dunno where its gone now, could be this one here..

[@DINGSANSAN]

i'm so proud that i actually help to fix these planes...

[@allano937]

@Flaps50trimsneutral Thanks. Ive been out the RAF too long and started getting some terminology wrong. I know theres a big difference between TAC ATC and FAC. I couldnt remember the correct name when I replied to the original comment. Ive seen a video some where on the work of TAC ATC. I'll maybe hunt on here. Thanks again for correcting me

[@peachyyy93]

i've been on this kind of plane since i was 5. my dad was in the air force. i remember these planes used to scare the crap out of me! they're too big & loud. lol

[@trykkermike]

We do the same exercise along the West Coast of Denmark now and then. The beach gets shut-off incl. home-guard military 24 h security, and then about 30-50 men spend 1 day walking the landing track distance, clearing it for eventual garbage, stones & sticks. Then they place orange fold-out plastic landing markers, and put up a scout point on the huge banks next to the beach: This scout point is functioning as "ground control tower" and is having a mobile radar & is in contact with the plane..

[@ElectroCannibal]

C130's are flying tanks. They can go anywhere and do whatever they want. I Ianded in one in a cross wind with the plane coming in at a 45 degree angle down the runway at Ft. Irwin. I thought we were all gonna die.

[@GDavies21]

haha, cheers for the cool insight! feel free to mail me some of your stories, im currently training in the RAF as a pilot and would be nice to hear some stories from the top guys across the pond!

[@MrMcWeaksauce1]

id love to be on the beach when someone lands one of those!

[@rogbrown1458]

I was back a while. Rog. Pacific sunset records.

[@mamaduke16]

To fly one of these, even if it is the Captain Sim - Legendary C-130 Pro Pack the most exhilarating experience definitely one of my favorites.That s a Flight Simulator available for you computer.

[@jhoelzler]

HAIL RAF! the greatest pilots in the world :) and this beautiful plane, able to land on really short distances in a shitty terrain, thats just cool :)

[@ktcd1172]

Now I want to see one of those C-5 pilots we used to deal with occasionally pull that off in one of their big birds.

[@somethingtoremember1]

I was on holiday on the other end of the beach when it landed, but the beach is like 4 miles long.

[@Zarescapepker]

thats crazy... i love the army and that is just awsome machinery

[@MajorT0m]

I love these aircraft!

[@Rob260259]

Great video!

[@imstretch]

IS that a person the plane flew over at 1:46? If so, that would be so friken cool having a plane fly over like that. Taking off through the water would be fun also...

[@fioredecor222]

THE C-130 IS A "MIRACLE PLANE"

[@Sarge084]

Hasn't everyone? I used to load them and fly of to far flung places in them, been on the flight deck for take off and landing dozens of times. Missed the introduction of the J series though.

[@hankadelicflash]

That's Guatemala's newest airport. I had to take off from there when I went to talk with some growers. When I was there they were putting in a snack bar.

[@eurostar131]

kid:-making sandcastle- -plane lands- kid:FUCK DAMN MY SANDCASTLE

[@smithraymond09029]

Sunbather #1 to Sunbather #2: "Honey. Is that a seagull coming at us"?

[@sjmachrihanish]

Hah! Sorry about that, but I think it just to keep old Hess awake! Actually, when I cast my mind back, it was the C5A Galaxy on its way into Templehof that used to cast the biggest shadow over our place (on Gatow) and make the window frames rattle. Those were the days...still got any copies of the Berlin Bulletin?!

[@Syphonaptera]

I love the engines sound...

[@slipersox]

on props they reverse the pitch of the prop, thus making it push forwards. on jets, they re-direct the thrust.

[@simontherm]

The SR-71 was really named the RS-71. Lyndon Johnson unknowingly reversed the order of the two first letters when he announced the aircraft's existence to the press. To spare him embarrassment, they changed it to SR-71.

[@bobcoleable]

I remember the Galaxy at the tattoo.. Hey! I reversed a ten ton truck into the back door of a herc at Gatow, It was delivering the Junior Leaders Gymnastics team,I told the Erk with the chock on the end of a stick i didnt need it, but he did insist.Doh!

[@TJSDays1]

Awesome!! The A400M has vry big boots to fill...if it ever gets off the ground...

[@CrazyWelshy]

I think they did something like this at Llanelli Flats as well, oh so I was told. How much weight was the plane carrying? Fully loaded or empty? If you know that information. I love the engines on the C130, when they rarely flyby my village I always stop to listen.

[@delijn57th]

With the new airbus transporter,yes. the belgian crew gets trained in france technicly and and dutytraining in us. Logistics support and the belgian genietroepen are in my opinion quiet the best there are

[@Gestapo1940]

@james191111 WEll a AC-130 is pretty much a C-130 with guns on it so its easy to get confused sometimes.

[@oughty]

Cheers for that mate. I thought Green C130's were special forces flight. Dont take offense, but I know its a Herc (been on a few). Thanks again for the reply.

[@Phoenixmedianetwork]

Wasnt that beach used in a episode of top gear around 2007, for the euro muscle car challenge coz that had a C130 in it.

[@dee18f]

That's cool! Hercules, some plane like!

[@uploadJ]

Gawd that's beautiful ... 5/5

[@gameveteran]

Old is the operative word considering the K is slowly being withdrawn from service as the J's are doing the majority of the operational flying :) See you at Lyneham Loadie Bloke :)

[@riquelaboissiere]

I think they're having fun taking off, then landing at the beach

[@ScottNolasco]

Just look up Saunton Sands (As mentioned in description) Airport in Wikipedia, it's 100% sand.

[@HellVomit09]

Those things are massive.

[@ipathbomb92]

doesn't the RAF practise landing helicopters in random places or something like that? thought I saw it on the news, great vid of C-130 btw

[@atenco01]

Surf is up, dudes..Great vid..

[@paulrandig]

That's right. But: It's "only" 90km although it it called 90mile beach.

[@fuddy12345]

Such a nice aircraft.

[@Scablifter1]

I know for a fact that this is real. I'm an RAF Medic at RAF Lyneham and one of our jobs is covering these landings.

[@oughty]

Belive this is Pembrey, just South of Carmarthen, South Wales. I could be wrong but i think it is a Herc from the special forces flight. Please correct if neccessary.

[@FreightCartel]

Im glad they clean the wheels before take off.. God forbid u get the air dirty!

[@sjtf2]

that's one damn good piolet

[@bombcat91]

The majic sound of the Allison AE2100;

[@grooveslide]

They should fly holiday civilian flights with the C-130. "Buy your ticket now! Hercules Airlines, takes your holiday straight to the beach! Literally!"

[@rabiazm]

Ahh! Could recognize that engine sound from a mile away!!!

[@RobertGary1]

I've actually landed on a beach runway myself. The sand can actually get quiet hard.

[@willwoodhouse]

@Flaps50trimsneutral im guessing that they only picked the hardest sand, and then marked it out as the safest (by marking with the orange beacons)

[@24765968]

Does anybody recce the beach prior to the aircraft landing? How can the pilot be sure the aircraft wont dig in or sink ? What proceedures are in place to keep ill- informed bystanders getting in the way ? It's a great spectacle, it just raises a few questions that I hope someone can answer to satisfy my curiosity. thankyou.

[@CJ27]

HEY! My sand castle! lol. nice video.

[@chrisrobsoar]

Now I understand. After they close Lyneham, if Brize Norton is closed the Herc's will have a diversionary field.

[@Dulcedan]

great vid

[@Macsgrafs]

Thats my local beach, 3 miles of golden sands. To think I missed this really P****D me off BIG TIME. I diod see photos in the Jounal though. Regards, Ross

[@nasasteve2]

you said you thought this aircraft on the video might be the one you had parked in dublin i said i doubt it generally speaking if an aircraft is parked up for a while its generally because they are no longer in service. the RAF operate 19 C130K's and 24 C130J's not sure which this one is mind the pilot's haunting here would know the difference i'm sure. on top of that of course this beach is not that far as the crow flies from Lyneham so one would have thought the aircraft came from there.