Asking Those Who Might Know 20080521_C-130 001a.jpg [1/3]

Looks like it might be an AC-130. Probably cannons sticking out the port
side and others may be sensors of some type.....


"Lush Rimshot" wrote in message
...
Please excuse the obvious doctoring these images underwent. This C-130
was circling east Houston for about 90 minutes this afternoon. Kind of an
unusual occurrence around here. I'm guessing she was at about 11,000
feet, and I had to play with the pixels to eke out some contrast &
details. Still shows up okay with 8 megapixels at 400mm & ASA 400, but
that's still a lot of damp sky to shoot through. Especially in May in
Houston, where the state bird is humidity.

Anyway, someone here might have some insight as to what those little
mini-domes, bumps and bulges might be on the underside, as well as those
knobs on either side of the aft fuselage, but especially that...'pole'...
sticking out from the aft left fuselage. The C-130 has more lives than my
neighbor's dozen cats, and since I have no idea what this version does, I
thought I'd ask the group for some better-informed opinion. I'm so out of
the loop on this one I'm wondering if the long pole could be anything from
an antenna to home in on illegal micropower radio stations to one of those
'burp' guns at 60 rounds a second. Or thereabouts.

We often have some F-16C's from the 147th Texas ANG (I think) out of
Ellington Field patrolling the the port and Refinery Row, but this a
different sort of bird, doing a different sort of thing. I'm just
curious.

Thanks, KB

Lush Rimshot is my screen name now ? Maybe I could get this AC-130 to
'persuade' my coffee-addled techie-friend into another screen name, like
'Inertia Coupled', or 'Ground Loopy', perhaps. Sheesh...

Sorry bout that.

KB


"Dallas" wrote in message
news:jk7Zj.174437$yE1.66931@attbi_s21...
Looks like it might be an AC-130. Probably cannons sticking out the port
side and others may be sensors of some type.....


"Lush Rimshot" wrote in message
...
Please excuse the obvious doctoring these images underwent. This C-130
was circling east Houston for about 90 minutes this afternoon. Kind of
an unusual occurrence around here. I'm guessing she was at about 11,000
feet, and I had to play with the pixels to eke out some contrast &
details. Still shows up okay with 8 megapixels at 400mm & ASA 400, but
that's still a lot of damp sky to shoot through. Especially in May in
Houston, where the state bird is humidity.

Anyway, someone here might have some insight as to what those little
mini-domes, bumps and bulges might be on the underside, as well as those
knobs on either side of the aft fuselage, but especially that...'pole'...
sticking out from the aft left fuselage. The C-130 has more lives than
my neighbor's dozen cats, and since I have no idea what this version
does, I thought I'd ask the group for some better-informed opinion. I'm
so out of the loop on this one I'm wondering if the long pole could be
anything from an antenna to home in on illegal micropower radio stations
to one of those 'burp' guns at 60 rounds a second. Or thereabouts.

We often have some F-16C's from the 147th Texas ANG (I think) out of
Ellington Field patrolling the the port and Refinery Row, but this a
different sort of bird, doing a different sort of thing. I'm just
curious.

Thanks, KB

"Dallas" wrote in message
news:jk7Zj.174437$yE1.66931@attbi_s21...
Looks like it might be an AC-130. Probably cannons sticking out the port
side and others may be sensors of some type.....


Yeah, AC-130. Big 105mm cannon aft of the wing. The round thing in the
middle of the tail ramp is an observation blister to look for enemy SAMs.


Don't know what it was doing circling Houston unless it was visiting for an
air show or something.


Regards, PLMerite


--

"I flew the 109 almost 2,000 times. For me, there's nothing better, and of
course, there's always this rivalry between the 109 and the Spitfire. And I
am often asked: which plane I think is better. I tell them I shot down 10
Spitfires, and that's my answer."
- Major Hans-Ekkehard Bob JG 54, JG 51, JG 3, EJG 2, JV 44







"Lush Rimshot" wrote in message
...
Please excuse the obvious doctoring these images underwent. This C-130
was circling east Houston for about 90 minutes this afternoon. Kind of
an
unusual occurrence around here. I'm guessing she was at about 11,000
feet, and I had to play with the pixels to eke out some contrast &
details. Still shows up okay with 8 megapixels at 400mm & ASA 400, but
that's still a lot of damp sky to shoot through. Especially in May in
Houston, where the state bird is humidity.

Anyway, someone here might have some insight as to what those little
mini-domes, bumps and bulges might be on the underside, as well as those
knobs on either side of the aft fuselage, but especially that...'pole'...
sticking out from the aft left fuselage. The C-130 has more lives than
my
neighbor's dozen cats, and since I have no idea what this version does, I
thought I'd ask the group for some better-informed opinion. I'm so out
of
the loop on this one I'm wondering if the long pole could be anything
from
an antenna to home in on illegal micropower radio stations to one of
those
'burp' guns at 60 rounds a second. Or thereabouts.

We often have some F-16C's from the 147th Texas ANG (I think) out of
Ellington Field patrolling the the port and Refinery Row, but this a
different sort of bird, doing a different sort of thing. I'm just
curious.

Thanks, KB

There are AC-130H and AC-130U models kicking around in the Special
Operations community. They are known as " Spectre ".

Some of you out there know FAR more than I do about these aircraft.

HF

On Thu, 22 May 2008 05:15:59 GMT, "Dallas"
wrote:

Looks like it might be an AC-130. Probably cannons sticking out the port
side and others may be sensors of some type.....


"Lush Rimshot" wrote in message
...
Please excuse the obvious doctoring these images underwent. This C-130
was circling east Houston for about 90 minutes this afternoon. Kind of an
unusual occurrence around here. I'm guessing she was at about 11,000
feet, and I had to play with the pixels to eke out some contrast &
details. Still shows up okay with 8 megapixels at 400mm & ASA 400, but
that's still a lot of damp sky to shoot through. Especially in May in
Houston, where the state bird is humidity.

Anyway, someone here might have some insight as to what those little
mini-domes, bumps and bulges might be on the underside, as well as those
knobs on either side of the aft fuselage, but especially that...'pole'...
sticking out from the aft left fuselage. The C-130 has more lives than my
neighbor's dozen cats, and since I have no idea what this version does, I
thought I'd ask the group for some better-informed opinion. I'm so out of
the loop on this one I'm wondering if the long pole could be anything from
an antenna to home in on illegal micropower radio stations to one of those
'burp' guns at 60 rounds a second. Or thereabouts.

We often have some F-16C's from the 147th Texas ANG (I think) out of
Ellington Field patrolling the the port and Refinery Row, but this a
different sort of bird, doing a different sort of thing. I'm just
curious.

Thanks, KB

Lajes?

Les F-4C, D, E, G WSO/EWO; AC-130A EWO; MC-13E EWO retired


"HiFlyer" wrote in message
news

Yes, Lajes!!

HF


On Thu, 22 May 2008 23:24:07 -0500, "Les Matheson"
wrote:

Lajes?

Les F-4C, D, E, G WSO/EWO; AC-130A EWO; MC-13E EWO retired


"HiFlyer" wrote in message
news