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The Mississippi Gulf Coast is a bird watcher’s paradise, especially for large birds like herons, egrets, pelicans, and C-130 aircraft.
The 403rd Wing has been buzzing Biloxi’s beaches in its variations of the C-130 and WC-130 aircraft for over three decades, but the first “herks” assigned to the then-403rd Composite Wing at Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan, came in April 1971 when the unit gained the 913th and 914th Tactical Airlift Groups at Willow Grove Air Reserve Facility, Pennsylvania, and Niagara Falls International Airport, New York, respectively. The 913th and 914th TAGs had just recently transitioned from the C-119 Flying Boxcars to C-130As.
As for the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, the 1965 hurricane season marked the first year the unit, then stationed at Hunter AFB, Georgia, and Ramey AFB, Puerto Rico, would fly their new, specially modified WC-130s into storms while their existing fleet of Boeing WB-47 Stratojets would be used for high altitude reconnaissance.
August 23 marked the 70th anniversary of the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules' first flight, and for over 50 of those 70 years the Citizen Airmen of the 403rd Wing have flown countless hours, transported thousands of people, and carried tons of equipment in C-130s ranging from A-models to J-models to provide combat, humanitarian, search and rescue, medical evacuation, and weather reconnaissance support all over the world.
| Date Taken: | 08.28.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 09.22.2025 15:17 |
| Story ID: | 548948 |
| Location: | KEESLER AFB, MISSISSIPPI, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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