Three Birds in a Row

Three C-130Js - two weather birds and one tactical airlift plane - represented the 403rd Wing and the Air Force Reserve at the 2009 Keesler Air Force Base "Thunder on the Bay" Air Show and Open House April 4 and 5. Spectators lined up to hear crewmembers and maintainers from the 815th Airlift Squadron and the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron describe the "ins" and "outs" of the missions of these different aircraft. The weather planes are both WC-130Js, and the tactical aircraft is a stretch model, a C-130J-30, which is 30 feet longer than a standard C-130J.