Marine KC-130F Hercules Landed on US Navy Aircraft Carrier USS Forrestal 21 Times in 1963. No Arresting Gear, No Catapult, and Nobody Has Tried It Since

A Marine Corps KC-130F Hercules achieved a rare aircraft-carrier landing record in 1963, when it landed on the USS Forrestal 21 times without arresting gear or catapult assistance. The first attempt was on Oct. 30, about 500 miles off Boston in the North Atlantic, in 40-knot winds and moderately rough seas. Trials ran through late November and included 29 touch-and-goes, 21 full-stop landings, and 21 unassisted takeoffs. The Hercules, flown by Navy Lt. James H. Flatley III, remains the largest and heaviest aircraft ever to operate from an aircraft carrier. The Navy pursued the “Super-COD” concept in response to the Grumman C-1 Trader’s limited range and payload, aiming to keep a $217 million carrier resupplied far offshore.