By MATT PIKE
Hopes are high 139th Airlift Wing based at Rosecrans Memorial Airport will be getting new C-130 J Model planes soon.
St. Joseph District three councilmember Andy Trout says a meeting during a trip to Washington DC last month brought both city officials and 139th leaders' home in positive spirits on their status of getting the new planes.
"Even though we're losing our biggest advocate in the House, the Senators were very positive, I think in part because there's really nobody else to go to, I mean we're the last ones to get picked," Trout says on the KFEQmunnity show. "But I was talking to the commander ot the Air National Guard for a moment and I said God isn't it funny that we have the drop school, the only one in the world, and we have the oldest jets in the heavy fleet?"
"And he said oh I hadn't thought about it that way. but he said there's no reason why you shouldn't be getting them, so the paperwork is in, it's just a matter of how the Senate votes on it and the House."
The Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center at the 139th Airlift base helps train pilots all around the world on flying jets and preparing them in tactical operations. Trout says training in older planes for those pilots can be totally different.
"They're loading and dropping and it's a whole different airplane," Trout explains. "It's very similar, they look a lot alike, but it's a whole different airplane, so it's hard to relate one to the other."
The 139th is currently operating with H2 model C-130's. Trout says the J model provides a larger plane than the 139th currently has with more efficient engines, more space, and more capacity.
"So compared to what we have now it's a bigger plane, a faster plane, a more capable plane, and a lot better fuel economy and a lot better range because of the fuel economy," Trout says. "It will be much more efficient, and of course they're teaching people with A400's, with C17's, much more capable planes than a 25-year-old H2."
While the city received that positive news, there is still some waiting to do to see if the 139th will get the J Model planes as they near the end of production. However, Trout feels as if they are in a good position to receive them soon.
Interview
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