My vote goes to the C-130 Hercules in service since 1956 with over 2,000 built is probably the most versatile tactical transport aircraft ever built. Its uses include transportation, electronic surveillance, search and rescue, space-capsule recovery, helicopter refuelling, landing (with skis) on snow and ice, gun ship and special cargo delivery. It has even landed and taken off from a carrier deck without benefit of arresting gear or catapults.

I agree with you, the C-130 is a great aircraft! Seperate from it's manifold uses, it is surprisingly, a lot of fun to fly.

Another bonus is that it is very forgiving and doesn't care about the weather, NOAA uses them to fly right through hurricanes, for just one example! Many pilot's are extremely happy that the C-130 can air-to-air refuel other jets, and that C-130 tankers carry their own (usually) Sidewinders, for self-defense, until thirsty fighter jets come begging for fuel. 

It also has a very handy clipboard right in the centre of the steering wheel(s) for both pilot and co-pilot to attach pilot's papers (log, manifest, waypoints and the 'Touch and Go' cafeteria menu!

Everyone loves to see (and fly) the Herc!

SPOOKY

Spky, you crack me up !!! 

Being a new boy to this Forum lark, I do not know of Captain/Commander/General "Spooky"'s background but have gathered that he/she has flown pretty well every aircraft type known to man. Perhaps he/she can advise what the C-130's maximum level TAS is? Levers to the front bulkhead! My guess is that it is a military secret and probably exceeds Mach 1.0??

..... After his stint in the German forces, he ended up at Malmstrom, AFB .....

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WE NOW KNOW !!!!!

SPOOKY, having flown pretty well every aircraft type known to man, was the pilot of the strange flying device involved in the (in)famous Malmstrom AFB UFO episode ........

SPOOKY:

the C-130 is a great aircraft! It is a lot of fun to fly.

I'm curious - is there anything with wings that you haven't flown yet, Biggles?

SPOOKY:

It also has a very handy clipboard right in the centre of the steering wheel(s)

Steering wheels?  A-ha ha ha ha ha ha!  Ha ha ha ha ha!

Dude, seriously, I'd up the dosage on whatever pills you're taking pretty damn quick before your condition starts to rub off on everybody else around here...... 

It's a well known fact that Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun is based on Spooky though obviously they had to change some things to maintain operational security, for instance Spooky would never be caught dead in a bar singing You've lost that loving feeling, his tastes run more the classic romantic tunes such as Every rose has its thorn by Poison. His stint as a door gunner on the Shuttle Atlantis was glossed over as being far too unbelievable and was described by Tony Scott (The director) as "sounding like a ridiculous lie someone might tell on the internet to impress people". One aspect that did make it into the movie was rolling his F-14 and taking it to within six feet of a then classified MiG-28 in order to take a polaroid, though in real life he wasn't in a Tomcat, he was actually in a 707 and did it fourteen years before Tex Johnston did the first and only public 707 barrel roll - Johnston never would have been allowed to do it if not for the fact Spooky had proved it possible before hand.

 Or of course, I could just be talking b*llocks.