C-130 Reference

C-130 Aircraft Database

Airframe Details for C-130 #3001

[Back to C-130 Aircraft Database menu | Missing Photos | Hall of Fame]



C-130 Aircraft Profile

Aircraft: 3001 (53-3129)
USAF AC-130A #53-3129 (c/n 182-3001) with the boring side an AC-130 gunship captured at Dayton, Ohio during July 1988 . [photo by Gary Chambers]
 LM Aero T/V 3001
Plant Lockheed Burbank Plant
Local C/N
Delivered USAF 53-129
C-130A
Current USAF 53-129
AC-130A
Status [pre]

⇦ Copy-paste this code to link this airframe from our forum

Aircraft History

Date Status Local S/N Airforce/Unit Version Name Info
19 Feb 1957 [act] 53-129 C-130A
First production C-130 rolled out on March 10, 1955 at Marietta, Georgia. First flight was on April 7, 1955. On third flight, May 14, 1955 due to a fuel leak, the right wing caught fire and was burnt off. The aircraft was eventually fixed and probably the reason for the late delivery on October 28, 1958.
Sep 1959 [con] 53-129 JC-130A
Modified to JC-130A by Temco Division at Majore Field, Texas.
Oct 1959 [act] 53-129 JC-130A
Cambridge Air Research Center
Aug 1962 [act] 53-129 USAF 6550 SW JC-130A
Unknown [act] 53-129 USAF 6515 TS JC-130A
Eastern Test Range, Systems Command in association with NASA.
Nov 1967 [con] 53-129 AC-130A
Converted to an AC-130A in 1967.
Unknown [act] 53-129 USAF 4413 CCTS 'IH' AC-130A
Unknown [act] 53-129 USAF 16 SOS 'EA' AC-130A
Nov 1970 [act] 53-129 USAF 16 SOS 'FI' AC-130A " First Lady"
Mar 1971 [msh] 53-129 USAF 16 SOS 'FI' AC-130A " First Lady"
Hit by 37mm shell but repaired.
Unknown [act] 53-129 USAF 16 SOS 'FI' AC-130A " First Lady"
Feb 1972 [act] 53-129 USAF 415 SOTS 'AH' AC-130A " First Lady"
Nov 1976 [act] 53-129 USAF 711 SOS AC-130A " First Lady"
AC-130 gunship nose-art "First Lady", 919th SOW aircraft seen at the Fairford RIAT. [Photo by 349/F-16.net]

An air-to-air close-up view of a 919th SOG AC-130A gunship #53-3129 flying over the northeast coast of Honduras during Exercise PEGASUS '87 on April 3rd, 1987. The aircraft, nicknamed "The First Lady", is flying day and night combat air support for Honduran and US Army Special Forces. [USAF photo by TSgt Lou Hernandez]
Jul 1994 [act] 53-129 AC-130A " First Lady"
USAF AC-130A #53-3129 from 711 SOS seen at RAF Fairford during RIAT on July 28, 1994. [Photo by Peter Fothergill]
10 Sep 1995 [pre] 53-129 AC-130A " First Lady"
USAF AC-130A #53-3129 (c/n 3001) seen here on display at the Air Force Armament Museum at Eglin AFB, Florida on October 19, 2006. [photo by Gary Chambers]
Put on display at USAF Armaments Museum, Eglin AFB with Vietnam-era camo.


Abbreviations and symbols:
[act] Active [i/a] Instructional Airframe [sto] Stored (e.g. at AMARG)
[cld] Cancelled Order [msh] Involved in Mishap [w/o] Write-off
[con] Converted [o/o] On Order
[des] Destroyed (drone) [pre] Preserved (museum, gateguard) T/V LM Aero Type/Version (Construction) number
[emb] Embargoed [scr] Scrapped Photo Available
Any aircraft or serials missing from this list? Did you see incorrect, incomplete, or outdated data?
Add your corrections at the bottom of this page or send them to us!
[Back to the C-130 Aircraft Database]


Errors and Omissions

Aug 23, 2023 - 05:03 PM
UBON Tail Code

The tail code for the 16 SOS at Ubon was "FT" not "FI"





Please use this form to add any list any error or omissions you find in the above text.

Note: your comments will be displayed immediately on this page. If you wish to send a private comment to the webmasters, please use the Contact Us link.