Tiger Cub's Air Force Base Field Trip

As a part of the Boy Scout pack Brayden & I got to tour the Peoria Air Force Base & the tour was led by the Colonel. The Air Force Base has 6 Cargo Planes or C-130's. We watched 3 of them take off on a mission before we got to go inside 1 of them. We walked through the Cargo area before getting to the Cockpit (where of course all buttons were off limits) but Brayden was able to imagine all kinds of action as he held the yoke with both hands.

The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built originally by Lockheed, now Lockheed Martin. Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally designed as a troop, medical evacuation, and cargo transport aircraft. The versatile airframe has found uses in a variety of other roles, including as a gunship (AC-130), for airborne assault, search and rescue, scientific research support, weather reconnaissance, aerial refueling, maritime patrol, and aerial firefighting. It is now the main tactical airlifter for many military forces worldwide. It was so big; no wonder why some call it the Fat Albert.

On base there was a building that could hold 2 C-130's inside the building. There was a garage door tall enough for the wing on top. Impressive!

They also had an enormous fire truck where Brayden got to sit in the seat & the wheels were bigger than him. It was kept in a huge garage with other Emergency Vehicles. They had all the fuel in another building & several other buildings that we never went in.

We watched a video of the Cargo planes in action dropping essentials out the back over Afghanistan. It was Northern Afghanistan so it was extremely jagged mountains unlike the flatter Southern part. Often times if the C-130 lands, its landing on a dirt runway that was just created earlier in the day for them to land on.

It was a 3 hour tour so we were both exhausted when we got home.