C-130 Hercules | Aviation Guy

Japan Said Goodbye to Me in Just the Right Way

Flying in Japan for me recently has not been incredibly exciting. It was just the nature of the transition of our squadron that as my planes left there would be less flying period, and it would ultimately become a formality more than real fun. I did get one outstanding trip to Nepal, which I shouldn’t sell short, but I have missed some good old low-level tactical flying. While my commercial flight back to the States did not include that type of flying, it was still just about the most perfect departure out of a very special place that I could have asked for.

I will apologize up front for the lack of pictures as I know pictures are what so many avgeeks live for, but there were two reasons for that. One, I no longer had a cell phone since I sold it before leaving Japan. Two, I actually made a conscious decision to just enjoy the view and make my own memories rather than trying to document it. It is something I have heard David Parker Brown talk about before when going to events that don’t allow cameras. I hope that my descriptions will satisfy your avgeek needs.

It started at my favorite airport to visit, Haneda. I have written about how awesome it is before, but it was so wonderful to get in one last visit before leaving Japan. I even got to ride on the train there with one of my best friends which was an added bonus. In short, Haneda has one of, if not the best observation deck at an airport in the world. It is before security and sits on top of the International Terminal so you get amazing views of the big beauties, as well as views of multiple runways. If you ever come through Tokyo you really should check it out.

I was a little concerned I would have a crappy flight because my original seat assignment was in the middle of the middle section on a 777-200ER. That means there would be four seats between me and the real avgeek seat by the window. Fortunately, I went to the counter to check in and asked for a window, which I was given with no effort other than asking. To make it even better, my window seat was on the wing. I just knew this was going to be a great flight once I saw that. I know everyone has favorite and most hated airlines, but I was happy to be returning to America on American which has always been my favorite airline.

As we took the runway and they pushed up those beautiful engines, I was a bit sad about leaving this incredible place, but equally as excited to finally be reunited with my family after three months apart. As I always do when seated on the wing I watched the entire departure and it was so cool to see small clouds form over the wing at the very moment the wing generated lift and we rotated off the ground. What was even cooler was the funnel cloud that persisted for a good five minutes after takeoff shooting over the wing just inside of the engine. I’m sure there is a name for that, but it is not something we get with props on the Herc so I am not sure what that is.

I got a great view of the city as we departed, but I was a little disappointed that I likely would not see Mt. Fuji because there was a lot of haze and a low cloud deck over much of the city. As we cut through the haze, and what turned out to be a really thin layer of clouds that almost exploded as the wings came through, we popped above the clouds, and there she was. Mt. Fuji stood out above the clouds below like I had seen so many times before. We were taking off right at sunset so she was backdropped with a sky full of reds and oranges. It was the perfect way for Japan to say goodbye to me. It probably irritated the people around me that I let that light in for so long, but I just couldn’t stop watching.

I know most people leave the window closed the whole time overnight because it’s not like you can see anything anyway, but I just can’t help looking every hour or so. There is something about watching that light out on the wingtip that just adds to the trip for me. That may even be a little crazy for an Avgeek, but I like it.

We made landfall in the Bay Area, but surprise surprise, it was covered in clouds. I did get a few glimpses of land and it made me smile to see America again. I have been back multiple times over the last two years, but this time I was coming home for good.

As we came into the LA basin on approach to LAX I was a little disappointed to see so much city again as I was anxious to get into the mountains of my new home in Reno, but the avgeek gods had a little treat for me. As we lined up on the runway I looked out over that lovely wing and saw a Southwest bird racing us to the runway. I know most people couldn’t care less, but it is always a treat at airports with parallel runways to track into the runway together. It didn’t hurt that we were quite a bit early either.

LAX was nothing stellar, but I can’t hate on it too much as I had been awake for almost 24 hours and had to kill six hours. In hindsight I should have gotten an Uber or something and ran out to the famous In N Out for a little spotting fun.

The ride to Reno was not really eventful because it was mostly overcast, and was bumpy most of the way there. Fortunately, the clouds opened up for the approach and I got to watch the arrival into my new city. To cap off this wonderful trip we taxied north up the airport alongside the National Guard ramp and I got to see seven of their beautiful birds lined up on the ramp. It was the perfect ending to a very very long day.

I drove off of Yokota AB saying goodbye to their last four C-130Hs about 24 hours earlier and had now made it to my new home with the view of the new C-130s I will be flying in a matter of weeks as a member of the 192nd Airlift Squadron in Reno. I can’t wait to get this next incredible adventure started and continue my love affair with the Herc.

Flying Somewhere New Can Reinvigorate You

The mountains of Japan are simply stunning.

It is hard to admit that sometimes I get a little bored flying, but I do. For the first few years I was on the C-130, most of my flying was at about 300 feet above the ground out in the open terrain of Arkansas. While the skyline was not particularly magnificent, and the terrain was not exactly rugged, it is an incredible rush to move that fast, that low, in a plane that big.

Coming to Japan has been an incredible experience with all of the places I have gotten to visit and the incredible people who I have gotten to meet from so many different countries. With that being said, the flying in the local area can often be a little less than spectacular.

As you may know, Tokyo is the most densely populated city in the world so it can be challenging to find a piece of land that isn’t covered with people. For that reason we are forced to fly more than three times higher than I was accustomed to before coming here.

You have to get a good steep bank angle in to really have fun, and fly safe, in the mountains.

However, the reason that Tokyo, and most of Japan for that matter, is so densely populated is because about 73% of the country is mountainous and uninhabitable. What that means for flying, is that there is some incredible terrain out there to be explored. The obvious question then is why don’t we spend all of our time flying in those areas? The short answer is weather. Wind, turbulence, and cloud cover all keep us out of those areas a lot of the time. (To read more about the challenges and dangers of mountain flying check out my post on the Advanced Mountain Airlift Tactics School.)

As luck would have it last week, I was scheduled to fly on a pilot’s last flight here in Japan and he wanted to go and rage through the mountains one last time. It even looked like the weather was going to cooperate for us. I had never been to this area before, but in his 6+ years here our pilot had flown it numerous times. It is worth mentioning that if you are not familiar with mountain flying you should really take a course or at least go with someone who is before attempting it.

The aforementioned weather that cut into the route but still didn’t stop us from some amazing fun.

My biggest regret was that I didn’t bring my GoPro because the scenery was simply stunning. The weather did force us to skip a big chunk of the route, but overall it was just a wonderful experience. As you can see from the few pictures I took, the mountains were the most beautiful shade of green and it was just all around beautiful.

While I could go on and on about how stunning it was, and how much fun it always is to rage through the mountains, that is not what I would like to focus on today.

It is not uncommon when you fly for a living to get into a rhythm and fly the same stuff over and over. That may be flying the same routes repeatedly as an airline pilot, or flying the same maneuvers as a flight instructor, but it is easy to get into a rut. As easy as it is to get into that rut I would submit that it is just as easy to get back out of it, assuming you want to.

The ground breaking solution to getting out of this rut is to do something different. Maybe that is getting back into a small general aviation plane and go and get a $100 hamburger for the first time in decades. Maybe you could go and get your float plane rating (I have often heard this referred to as the most fun rating a pilot can get). Or maybe you could take an aerobatics course and pull some G’s and improve your understanding of how an aircraft handles in all different attitudes.

Full yoke deflection means you are about to feel the pull through a turn.

It doesn’t really matter what you do as long as it breaks up the monotony for you. For me it was getting into a new area of Japan that I had never seen before. We raged through some amazing scenery and just had an amazing time. By the end of the flight, which I am a little ashamed to admit was only about three hours, I was pretty exhausted because I hadn’t flown like that in a long time and it takes it out of you physically. In my defense I do stand the whole time, but it was an incredible feeling to be so tired after a flight again.

Flying is the most fun thing you can do in this world in my opinion. It is one of the few ways we can overcome the laws of physics and put ourselves somewhere that the human body cannot go on its own; flying through the air. If you have gotten bored with it, or thing it is just not fun anymore than you need to change it up and get out and do something new. Life’s too short to not enjoy something so incredibly fun.

Cope North 2016 Video

Once again I realize I am behind the power curve on this one since the 2017 version of Cope North was over a few months ago as well, but I had too much great footage to just let this one go. Hopefully I can get some more videos done faster so that won’t be so dated.

The 2016 edition of Cope North was the largest version of the exercise to date with participants from no less than 9 different countries. The exercise involves dozens of fighters from numerous countries, and multiple branches. There are also AWACS, Tankers, and of course the best type of aircraft, C-130s.

We were joined in our airlift efforts by the South Korean Air Force as well as the Japanese Air Self Defense Force, who we work with on a regular basis. As a group we executed numerous air drops, and a massive amount of airlift in a humanitarian aid simulation. It is always a pleasure working with our international partners learning from each other and having a few laughs.

One of the most fun things we get to do at this exercise, other than flying around all of these gorgeous islands with incredibly blue water, is execute unimproved surface landings on the island of Tinian at the old North Field. If that name sounds vaguely familiar that is because some pretty important history took place there.

North Field was the departure field for a couple of B-29s that you may have heard of, The Enola Gay and Bockscar. I have mentioned before how much I love walking where history has happened, and in this case I actually got to fly there. To utilize such a historic runway leaves me just a little bit speechless. It is a lot of work for our crews to clear back the jungle each year so that we can utilize the runway for this exercise, but it is invaluable for all of the crews.

I will spare you any more of the details since it happened so long ago, and just leave you with the awesome footage I was able to gather below. If you want to learn more about the exercise a simple Google search will take you to official Air Force articles.

I hope you enjoy and I would love to get your feedback.

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June 13, 2017 I Written By David

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Aviation Aviation Videos C-130 Hercules Military Aviation

Tags:C-130 Assualt Landing C-130 Flying C-130 Video Cope North 2016 JASDF Pacific Flying Tinian North Field USAF

Another C-130 Leaves the Air Force: The End of an Era

I don’t like to write about sad things, because, surprise surprise, it makes me sad. The challenging thing about this story is that it involves doing something that I totally love, flying.

If you pay much attention to US Air Force changes then you know that the C-130H is being replaced by the C-130J which does not utilize the services of a navigator, which also means I am having to find a new job, but that is a whole different story. Fortunately, these old beautiful birds still have a life to live in the Reserves and National Guard.

I had the opportunity to go and drop one of these planes off at its new home in Ohio. While a few pictures and nice memories really don’t do justice to a plane that has served for more than 43 years, that is all that I have to offer.

The sunset as we were leaving Japan was simply stunning. Poetic as well as this was the sunset mission for tail 1659.

Our original plan was to fly the southern route across the Pacific visiting beautiful tropical islands as a good-bye to this sweet old lady. However, as these planes have done for much of their career, she had different ideas. She decided she wasn’t quite ready to leave Japan so she broke for two days. That meant that we had to take the northern route through Alaska which was equally as beautiful, just a lot more chilly.

Having been to Alaska last year I was not quite as excited as I was to visit Hawaii for the first time, but it was just as beautiful as I remembered. What was unique about this leg was the distance we were able to cover and the altitude we were able to reach.

Sunrise as we started to cross the Aleutian chain on our way into Alaska was equally as stunning.

Typically for us, 6-8 hours is a pretty long mission and generally the limit of our fuel depending on how much cargo we are carrying. We also are generally restricted to about 20,000 feet or so in altitude because we are so heavy. But a fortunate shift in the winds, and the small payload we were carrying allowed us fly for a full ten hours and climb all the way to 27,000 feet. I know that is nothing for a commercial airliner, or even our bigger Air Force brothers, but for a C-130H that was a pretty big deal. We also were able to make the trip from Japan to Anchorage without stopping which is an even more amazing feat for our non aerial refuel capable plane.

The Canadian Rockies are incredible to behold and probably more remote than most anywhere else I have ever been.

After some much-needed sleep in Alaska, despite the sun not setting until after midnight, we headed off for Great Falls, MT for another stop. I have never flown over the Canadian Rockies before so it was really fun to see just how stunning they really are. There was still a large amount of snow up there which made it even more majestic.

I know it is a small thing, that only my older brother may appreciate, but it was fun to just relax and toss a frisbee around for a few minutes. Yes there is someone relaxing in that hammock, the only way to travel in the back of a C-130.

I was also able to fulfill a career-long dream of mine on this leg, playing frisbee in the back of the plane while flying. Generally this is not possible because we are full of stuff and/or people, but since all we had was the crew and a bunch of spare parts there was plenty of room for activities. Fighter guys can do lots of cool fun stuff, but they can’t walk around and relax in the back of their planes. They also have to use a piddle pack, but that too would be a story for another day.

After crossing over Glacier National Park we descended down into the plains near Great Falls and enjoyed some of the beautiful scenery, in particular the Missouri River. Due to scheduling concerns, we actually had a day off in Great Falls where we were able to go out and enjoy some fishing on the river before proceeding on. The fishing sucked because the river was so high, but I will never turn down some time on the banks of a beautiful river surrounded by stunning mountains with a fishing rod in my hand.

A stop in Big Sky country seemed fitting as this is the place that many of our other tails will be traveling to. A nice little break before her last leg.

It was a little sad leaving Great Falls on the last leg of our mission knowing that this would be the last leg of an active duty career spanning more than four decades. There are only a handful of people in our squadron that were even alive when this plane was built, and now her time was up.

As we pulled into parking in Ohio and shut her down for the last time it was a little sad to say goodbye to another one of these sweet girls. She still has a good life to live in the Guard, but as the number of H models we have on the ramp here continues to dwindle it makes me sad to see the end of this era. If I’m being honest a little of that is selfish because I am losing my position on active duty, but I really think it goes deeper than that.

We often talk about how the C-130H was really the last plane in the Air Force inventory that you really got to fly because all of the others are so technologically advanced that computers do a lot of the work. There is also something comforting about all of the gauges and dials, that broke as often as not, but that were a credit to the craftsmanship of this beautiful plane. How many machines that are this complex have been able to take a legit beating for 40+ years and still keep working? Not many.

So as I say goodbye to old 1659, it is with a heavy heart, but with fond memories of the amazing things I have gotten to do on this amazing aircraft.

No rest for the weary. Before we could even get all of our stuff of the plane, her new owners had her all ready to be towed into a hangar to get cleaned up and ready to keep working.

Year In Review: Operation Christmas Drop 2015

Yeah, I know it has been more than a year since I promised this video, but here it is finally. While I am by no means a professional video maker, there is some pretty awesome footage in there.

Operation Christmas Drop 2015 was the 64th annual edition of this humanitarian operation, making it the longest running humanitarian aid mission in DOD history. Over a seven-day period we dropped to 56 islands covering more than 2 million square miles of mostly water. To give you some perspective, that is an area larger than the continental United States.

This was the first year that the US Air Force was joined by the Royal Australian Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defense Force, and it was a tremendous success. All three nations gained valuable knowledge and experience from this amazing operation.

I have done some amazing things over the past year, but I honestly don’t know that I could ever have more fun flying than I did for this week. Cruising out at altitude for hours and then descending into the middle of the Pacific Ocean and picking out an island that is less than a square mile in area is incredibly fulfilling.

As you level off over the islands you see the bluest blue waters surrounding stunningly green palm trees with small groups of people waving and excited to see you. It is hard to imagine a more remote location and that makes the airdrops that much more challenging.

Normally we airdrop on surveyed drop zones with ground controllers that increase our situational awareness by giving us winds and ensuring the drop zone is secure. In this case we have to estimate the winds ourselves, and make multiple passes to ensure that we drop in a safe location free of people and structures.

While this can be extremely challenging, it is also incredibly rewarding to see all of the countless hours of training we do pay off as we deliver Christmas to people who wouldn’t receive it in any other way.

It is a little weird to celebrate Christmas in the toasty region of Guam and the South Pacific, but I also can’t think of a much more rewarding and fulfilling way to enjoy the season.

While I am no professional video maker, I hope you enjoy the footage, and I would love to hear any comments you may have to share.

2016+ Year in Review

I know it is cliche, but I really can’t believe another year has gone by. Even more unbelievable to me is how much I have actually done this year, and some of the incredible experiences that I have had.

With all of the time I have spent all over the Pacific I have neglected this writing, which I am just now realizing was a sort of therapy that I have also been missing out on. Such is life though and all I can do is work at getting back into it.

So rather than try to cram everything into one post, I am going to work on getting out one a week or so which will hopefully give me some time to really internalize everything I have learned this year, while at the same time not overwhelming myself and then just giving up.

So here is a quick overview of some of the things I will be writing about over the next few months:

Operation Christmas Drop 2015– I have mentioned this before, and a year later I am going to actually get to it. I was on a crew for this operation which was an amazing opportunity to fly all over the islands of the Pacific bringing Christmas joy to people who live about as remotely as you possibly can in this world.

Cope North 2016- This is a massive exercise that takes place in Guam every year involving 8-9 different countries in this instance. Once again I was on a flying crew, which was one of the best crews I have ever flown with. This was the first time I had ever trained with fighter aircraft which was a whole lot of fun. As well as visiting some pretty historic sites.

Balikatan 2016- Another large-scale exercise but in the Philippines. For this exercise I went as a mission planning cell chief working at a location we had never fully manned before. While I didn’t get to do any real exciting flying, it did really open my eyes to the time and effort that is required to pull off these vitally important exercises.

Red Flag Alaska 2016- Surprise, surprise, another exercise, though most people who have interest in military aviation have likely heard of it, or at least the Nellis AFB version. While I was back to flying for this exercise, it is structured differently than the other exercises so I also did a massive amount of mission planning. It was some of the most incredible flying I have ever done, with a fun crew, and some amazing off duty time in the awe-inspiring Alaskan mountains.

Becoming an evaluator Not exactly an exciting flying adventure, but something that has shaped the way I view being a flyer. I have written numerous times about how much I love instructing, and evaluating has only deepened my love of instruction, but on a much deeper level.

Operation Christmas Drop 2016- This year I went as the mission planning cell chief and there are few times I have worked so many hours and felt so completely fulfilled by what I have done. To be very clear, there are a lot of people who did a lot of work to make this operation happen, and it was an honor to be a part of it. It will be hard to beat the value of this experience in my life.

So there it is. I am sure I forgot events that I will write about as well. It seems so short listing them all like this, but I am excited to go back and relive all of these experiences again. I know it will put a lot of smiles on my face, and I hope that you will find some enjoyment from reading about it. Thank you for all of your support in the past, and I look forward to your comments in the future.

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January 6, 2017 I Written By David

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Aviation Aviation Education/Training Aviation People C-130 Hercules Lessons Learned Military Aviation

Tags:Balikatan 2016 C-130 Adventures Cope North 2016 Operation Christmas Drop Red Flag Alaska Year in Review

“A date which will live in infamy.”

These words evoke an incredible range of emotions for millions of people every year around this time. Even for those of us who were not yet living, or even our parents for that matter, they strike an instant chord to something deep inside us.

When FDR said those words 75 years ago I seriously wonder if he would believe what I did today would have ever been possible.

I am currently in Guam participating in Operation Christmas Drop as the Mission Planning Chief for the exercise. If you don’t know what this is look it up on YouTube because there are some amazing videos.

In short, it is an operation to deliver supplies and Christmas presents to the people of Micronesia and the Marianas islands utilizing C-130s to airdrop these much needed supplies. This is the 65th installment of the operation and it gets more awesome every year.

What made today special for me was the magnitude of what I was able to witness. You see, 75 years after that infamous day, I was part of an operation where American and Japanese military members flew on each other’s aircraft to deliver goodwill and happiness to people across the islands of the Pacific.

Two nations that fought bitterly so many years ago teamed up, along with our Australian brothers and sisters, to drop not bombs but food, gifts, and other vital supplies to people they will never meet in person. In one day they delivered nearly 10,000 pounds of cargo in a joint operation that demonstrates the amazing relationship we have developed.

As I lay here about to go to sleep almost 75 years to the hour that Pearl Harbor was attacked, I almost cannot fathom the magnitude of what took place today, yesterday, and will again tomorrow.

In a world that can so often be viciously divided it was awe inspiring to see how much good former enemies can do when we unite together for the greater good. May we all take a minute today to remember those that were lost, but also take a minute to find our own battles that we can bring to a peaceful resolution.

If the flag of the rising sun and the stars and stripes can literally fly together after all they endured three quarters of a century ago, then any quarrel can be settled and instead good deeds can be done.

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December 7, 2016 I Written By David

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: C-130 Hercules Military Aviation

Tags:C-130 JASDF Operation Christmas Drop Pacific Airdrop Pearl Harbor Day RAAF USAF

A Few Shots of Everyone’s Favorite C-130: Fat Albert

The Blue Angels are the highlight of pretty much every airshow they fly at. They put on an exhilarating show that is almost impossible not to enjoy.

The part of the show that many people unfortunately overlook is one of my favorite parts. Fat Albert is the workhorse of the show as the transport for the maintainers, as well as the only propeller driven aircraft in the show. I had the opportunity to see Fat Albert back when they still utilized JATO bottles for some incredible takeoffs, and I have been hooked ever since. In case you are wondering what a JATO takeoff is, check this out:

While living in Pensacola, FL, the home of the Blue Angels, I got to see Fat Albert quite often, but there is just something special about seeing him on the road. I had that opportunity again last August while in Seattle during the SeaFair Air Show.

While most of the action took place out over the water, I actually think Fat Albert’s part of the show is better at the airport itself. In this case that would be King County International Airport, better know as Boeing Field. The outdoor static displays of the Museum of Flight is a unique and wonderful place to watch an airshow. Though you will notice a few of those planes peeking into some of my pictures.

Every show starts with a takeoff.

A zoom climb takeoff like this is incredibly uncomfortable since you are flying at maybe 10-20 feet with the gear up as fast as you can. Keep in mind, that this is not a little Cessna 172, but a 100,000+ pound cargo plane. That makes for an incredibly exhilarating experience, and some pretty insane takeoff angles for such a large, propeller-driven plane.

While it can sustain this angle forever, it does get you away from the ground, fast.

While it can’t sustain this angle forever, it does get you away from the ground, fast.

If you have ever watched a “normal” C-130 takeoff, it is not very exciting, and it takes a long time to get up and away. While this is nothing compared to the old JATO takeoffs, it is fun to take off at this steep of an angle.

C-130s don’t necessarily translate to air show excitement.

In terms of the air show itself, this picture really sums up most of what a C-130 can do in an air show. It can be fun to see some big banking 60 degree turns and high-speed passes, but the real power and utility of the C-130 can’t really be shown at an airshow, with the exception of the takeoff we already talked about, and maybe even more nerve-wracking, intense landings.

The C-130 was designed to go into austere locations and provide support to forces that otherwise would not receive it. I often explain to friends that all we need is an area free of trees and other tall objects and we could get in there. While that may not be 100% accurate, it really isn’t too far off.

When all you see out the window is ground, it can be quite unnerving.

One important aspect of this unique ability is approaching airfields at an incredibly steep angle. We often refer to it as riding the elevator because you watch the altitude just spin off the altimeter. I read an article from a reporter who got to take a ride on Fat Albert and she said that the most scary part was this steep descent into the runway.

You would never know that this plane just descended about 1000 feet in about 20 seconds.

While it may make the untrained civilian uncomfortable, it is things like this that get all of us Herc crew members excited about what we do. It feels amazing when the pilot rounds it out and you touch softly down after screaming towards good old terra firma.

What a beautiful sight.

Everyone is attracted to the fast and agile planes at an airshow, and for good reason, because they are exciting. However, the older I get the more I appreciate the wonder of some of these unsung heroes at airshows. There may be no greater unsung hero than Fat Albert, but I may be a little biased.

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May 14, 2016 I Written By David

I'm Dave and I am a proud Avgeek. It goes way beyond liking airplanes. It is a passion that cannot be subdued.

Filed Under: Air Shows Aircraft Aviation C-130 Hercules Military Aviation

Tags:Blue Angels C-130 Airshows Fat Albert JATO Takeoff SeaFair Air Show Zoom Climb

I Promise I am Still Alive (Video to Spark Your Interest)

Has it really been more than two months since I have posted?

As much as it pains me, I have to be honest: for some reason I just had no desire to write. Admittedly, I have been busy going to two major multi-national exercises, not to mention some pretty significant family stuff going on.

With all of that being said, those are just excuses, and I apologize. I promise to get back on the horse now that I have a little more free time. Besides, I could really use some therapeutic writing to get the avgeekiness flowing again.

In the meantime, enjoy a little snippet of some of the amazing flying I got to do recently. I will put together some better stuff soon. Of particular note in this video is the runway at the end is actually where the Enola Gay took off from on its historic mission. I also think it is awesome to see the propellers go into reverse shortly after we landed. Enjoy.