The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is a legend in the world of military airlift. It is only the fifth aircraft (after the English Electric Canberra, Boeing B-52 Stratofortress, Tupolev Tu-95 Bear, and Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker) to reach 50 years of continuous service with its original primary customer, the U.S. Air Force in the case of the C-130. Entering Air Force service in 1956, the Hercules continues to serve as the U.S. military’s primary tactical airlifter. The versatile platform has even been converted for use as an aerial firefighter, gunship, and meteorological aircraft. Over 40 variants of the C-130 have been produced and operated across the world. One notable operator was Delta Airlines.

Cargo is loaded onto a Delta L-100 (Delta Flight Museum)

Delta, along with United and American, is one of America’s big three airlines. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, it is the nation’s oldest operating airline, having been founded in 1925. Today, Delta flies an expansive fleet of aircraft, from the Airbus A220 to the Boeing 767, to move passengers and freight. For seven years, Delta also operated the commercial version of the C-130, the Lockheed L-100 Hercules.

Delta Curtiss C-46 freighter with Delta hangar and Convair 880 in background, ca. early 1960s.
A C-46 Commando in Delta livery (Delta Flight Museum)

On August 18, 1966, Delta took delivery of its first L-100. The first scheduled service, both for Delta and the L-100 as a commercial freighter, took place the next month on September 15. Delta acquired the L-100 to increase its dedicated freight capability; the Hercules provided a larger payload and greater speed than the airline’s Curtiss C-46, also originally a military transport. The airline purchased a total of three L-100s and operated another five on a very short-term lease.

(Delta Flight Museum)

Based in Atlanta, Delta utilized the Hercules to provide the first single-carrier cargo service between the aerospace industries in California and the American Southeast. For freight customers, Delta’s L-100 provided next-day delivery coast-to-coast, an express alternative to trucking. Delta even marketed its L-100 as “the one aircraft that combines the best features of a plane and a truck, built specifically to carry cargo.” In addition to its large cargo capacity, the L-100’s roll-on/roll-off cargo design made freight operations quicker and more efficient.

The L-100 offered greater speed, range, and capacity than other freighters at the time (Delta Flight Museum)

After two years of service, Delta returned its L-100-10 airplanes to Lockheed for an 8.3-foot fuselage stretch. This longer Hercules was designated the L-100-20 and Delta was the first airline to operate the type. Lockheed leased L-100s to Delta while its purchased planes were being modified. During its time with Delta, the Hercules flew cargo down to Miami, up to New York, across the country to Oakland, and destinations in between.

(Delta Flight Museum)

However, the introduction of larger commercial airliners like the Douglas DC-10 and Boeing 747, with greater speed and increased underfloor cargo capacity, made a dedicated freight service unnecessary for Delta. The airline flew its last Hercules flight on September 1, 1973, and retired the L-100.

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