USAF C-130 Photos

The propeller blades were cycling in synchronization as the dedicated crew chief stood in front of the nose of the aircraft, rubbing it in cyclical fashion, jocularly encouraging the blades to keep turning. As the crew chiefs backed off and gave the "thumbs up" to the aircrew, the C-130E began to taxi down the runway on the flight line at Little Rock Air Force base, Ark., and took off to the sky. C-130s soaring through the air is a common sight for citizens of the base and its surrounding area, but this was anything but a common flight.