RAF hercules C1 XV215 question

[TOPGUN88]

Ive been looking for photos of RAF c-130 xv215 but cant find out if the aircraft could have ever had the refueling system i stalled into the rear end. I have a C SCALE conversion kit and dont want it just sitting around. Any help is much apreciated. :)=

[tweeky]

http://www.c-130.net/aircraft-database/C-130/serials-and-inventory/airforce/RAF/46/

 

[Beefy]

Good news for you XV215 did have the refuelling system fitted. Founf this picture on the web. Hope it helps.

 

http://flickrhivemind.net/blackmagic.cgi?id=2041612008&url=http%3A%2F%2Fflickrhivemind.net%2FTags%2Fhercules%2Cxv215%2FInteresting%3Fsearch_type%3DTags%3Btextinput%3Dhercules%2Cxv215%3Bphoto_type%3D250%3Bmethod%3DGET%3Bnoform%3Dt%3Bsort%3DInterestingness%23pic2041612008&user=&flickrurl=http://www.flickr.com/photos/43422236@N00/2041612008

[Ascoteer]

The Tankers (in order of conversion in 1982) were:
 

XV296

XV201

XV204

XV192

 

Subsequently XV203 and XV213 were converted to C1K (Tanker) standard.

 

XV192 and XV203 were later back converted to 'flat floor' C1 standard owing to the fact that the Andover fuselage tanks had become life-expired (IIRC this was around 1993/94).

 

 

I'm afraid that XV215 was never a Tanker; in the photo' Beefy shared it is evident that there is no Ram Air Intake (for HDU cooling) forward of the port para door (it would be in line with the window in the para door).

 

I think he's getting confused by the AAR probe fitted above the flight deck on the stbd side. All RAF C1 and C3 aircraft were modified post Falkland to have the probe. The only C-130K that lacked the probe was XV208 the sole Hercules W2 known as 'Snoopy'.

[Beefy]

Apologies, misunderstood the question, as pointed out by Ascoteer thought it was the refuelling probe you had and not the K conversion set.

[TOPGUN88]

hi guys. thankyou for the information. I will get an xtradecal sheet and make the right serial numbers. but were these black rather than white as I have seen a taker with black serial numbers. 

 

 

[Ascoteer]

That would depend upon the period.

 

AP-101-0701-0703-1A, Sect V was the authority for the RAF Hercs to go into the wraparound cam of Dark Geen and Dark Sea Grey with black lettering / numbers. This publication was issued in May 1987.

 

Prior to that the aircraft were in Dark Green / Dark Sea Grey / Light Aircraft Grey with black serial numbers on the rear fuselage and underwing and white 'ROYAL AIR FORCE' titles on the upper forward fuselage, as well as white fleet nubers (eg 213) on the nose and fin.

 

Despite the fact that the AP quoted above was issued in 1987, by the time I got on Albert (early '90s) the fleet (61 aircraft) had not all been repainted (since this was done as they went into deep maintenance at Marshalls).

 

I flew XV213 with 1312 Flight in the Falklands in 1992 and the aircraft was stll in the earlier scheme (indeed XV213 will be my next Herc build after I complete Snoopy), but I have photographic evidence that by 1995 the aircraft was in the later scheme.

 

The upshot of all this is that you need to check your references / timings carefully.

[Smudge]

May I just hijack this thread slightly and ask, did any RAF Hercules have a Green/Grey camo top with Black undersides finish?

 

I thought they did, but I am probably just imagining it.......

[Ascoteer]

Some (but not all) aircraft had a black stone-chip protection applied to the underside of the  fuselage.to protect it when doing landings on unprepared strips.

 

With the wraparound cam there were black triangles on the underwing surface aft of the jet-pipes.

 

Here's the AP I mentioned:

 

 

 

 

By late '93/'94 some aircraft (not tankers nor DF 'frames) were going in to the all over Barley grey scheme.

[AMB]

Wow that AP is extremely useful and so is your knowledge! Interestingly the drawing shows XV176 as a C.1 in wrap-round camouflage, which it never wore as it was converted to a C.3 before that was implemented. I was also in the Falklands in 1991 and flew in XV213 ....small world! 

[Ascoteer]

XV176 was indeed converted (stretched) to C3 standard, I'm not sure when the airframe was converted exactly, but given that the C3 project started in 1979, I would agree with you that it was done well before the publication of the above AP.

 

I am assuming that some neddy at MoD used that serial on the AP solely because XV176 was the first RAF C-130K to enter service.

 

 

 

XV176 was scrapped at Lockheed, Marietta Georgia, in  February 2003.

 

[stever219]

Serial numbers on drawings can be fun.  

 

The A&AEE Buccaneers, XW986, '987 and '988 had the underside serial painted lengthwise along the bomb bay door, unlike the rest of the Buccaneer fleet which wore the numbers conventionally under their wings.  

 

So the story goes this happened because each jet had a slightly different colour scheme and to differentiate between them the draughtsman/woman used the outline of the bomb door as a box into which to write the relevant serial number.  The easiest way to do this was to write the number along the door, rather than across it, which allows for larger, easier to read, characters. The pant shop just got on with following the drawings.

 

For most Service types the AP drawings are generic and not intended to represent a particular airframe at any point n it's life.  As an aside, if anyone has the JP AP, please could they have a quick shufti to see where the position of the underwing serials is measured from?  Both examples featured in the Airfix JP. 3 have 1s in their serials, which produces a short "block", so is the serial measured from the inboard or outboard end when locating the "block?  As I'm currently planning to model XM463 when she still had wings this would be a great help, thank you.