Examination of derived gust velocities from C-130 in forest service operation

Abstract

Flight data from two EC-130Q and two L-382G airframes being flown as airtankers in USFS operations were analyzed. Firefighting flights were separated into five phases: cruise 1, entry, drop, exit, and cruise 2. The recorded normal accelerations were used to calculate the derived gust velocities and the results were presented for each phase. Results showed that the frequency of the atmospheric gusts were dependent on MSL altitude. Because the cruise phases were flown at higher altitudes, the derived gust velocities occurred more frequently for the entry, drop, and exit phases. Likewise, derived gust velocities occurred more frequently for the firefighting missions due to the ferry flights occurring at higher altitudes. The results presented in this paper compared favorably with those observed for other airtankers.