Originally published at: Potentially unauthorized use of a USAF C-130 Hercules to move a motorcycle across country | Boing Boing
…
5 Likes
“Leadership is aware of the incident, which is under investigation. Once the investigation is complete we will provide additional information.”
Translation: This will be swept under a rug STAT.
10 Likes
Maybe a suitable punishment would be for the crewmember to be ordered to take the bike for one last ride?
2 Likes
Good thing we’re increasing the military budget to yet more obscene levels so that shit like this never happens again.
9 Likes
So everyone hurry up and forget it happened. Forget…forget…
1 Like
I’m not even that mad at this. Considering the obscene waste of taxpayer dollars to use our military equipment for pointless jingoistic rituals like sports events “flyovers”, stopping to pick up a motorcycle is very low on my outrage list at the moment.
18 Likes
If they were already flying in that general direction and made an unscheduled stop on the way, I wouldn’t really have much of a problem with it.
But if this trip was set up just to go get the bike, that would be another thing.
3 Likes
Must have been a Harley. Ain’t gonna ride that across country.
3 Likes
Maybe there should be more of this kind of thing. Aircrew needs flight time / take-off or landing practice / loading practice / other not-exclusively-military thing? Make it possible for people who need to move long distances to escape poverty / abuse to bundle up their stuff and get the military to deliver them and their stuff for less than the cost of renting a U-Haul.
10 Likes
Hmm…
Really? Even if this airport was directly along the planned route, the fuel associated with the extra taxiing and takeoff likely exceeds the value of a typical motorcycle. A C130 burns about 740 gallons/hour when cruising, but taking off and climbing up to altitude requires much more power and a higher burn rate.
5 Likes
It was a training exercise.
2 Likes
Not to mention you’d only have to refuel a motorcycle somewhere in the neighborhood of 8-10 times for a one way trip from Martha’s Vineyard to Biloxi, depending on the make. 
My dad flew Sabres for the RCAF in the 50’s. He used to sign one out to fly across country home for the weekend.
They were encouraged to do stuff like that to get hours up and experience in the air.
When he was stationed in Grostenquin, France, I heard all sorts of stories about flying to various places all over Europe to go skiing or pick up beer (which was kept cold in the cannon’s brass catcher).
6 Likes
Yeah, yawn.
Bad luck for the crew to get caught on a slow news day. The punishment will be commensurate with the amount of press this gets. New rules coming in 3, 2, …
Some of the Soviet planes of the day carried their liquor with them, in large quantities.
(Skip to 15:45 for the relevant bit)
2 Likes
They very may well report back and say “The crew needed flight hours, and a few landings and takeoffs. to stay qualified so they took this as an opportunity to pick up Airman Joe’s prized flathead that was proudly made in Milwaukee! Airman Joe is riding it in a charity ride this weekend in Mississippi.”
Or we may never hear anything ever again.
2 Likes
That’s really cool. I know that military pilots have the gov’t credit card with them so they can fill up at non-military airports. Must be fun to be the fuel guy at St George, UT municipal airport or whatever and get to fill up an F-16 with $6,000 worth of Jet A.
1 Like
This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.
