Adieu, Old Friend

After 47 years of service, a C-130E transport assigned to Little Rock AFB, Ark., has been retired from service after recently completing its final combat mission in Iraq, an airdrop sortie delivering pallets of supplies. This aircraft, with tail number 9813, reached 33,220 flight hours. “To see this one go, especially since it is a good flyer, it is a sad day,” said Capt. Bradley Allen, 777th Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Unit officer in charge at Joint Base Balad, Iraq. And a good machine it truly was. In 2007, for example, it had no open maintenance issues for the entire year and was rated a perfect aircraft; ready for flight. This C-130E will be placed in storage with the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. (Balad report by A1C Allison M. Boehm)