The Tactical Airlift Program Office (PMA-207) coordinated the donation and delivery of a full-sized C-130 training cockpit to the Patuxent River Naval Air Museum.

The cockpit, a Navy C-130 Communications/Navigation /Instrumentation (CNI) candidate training device was initially part of the Navy’s C-130T Avionics Obsolescence Upgrade program. Transferred to Naval Air Station Patuxent River from Fort Worth, Texas in 2012, it had served a number of demonstration and engineering purposes until it was stripped of all internal equipment, wrapped in white shrink-wrap, and preserved on hangar 101 flight-line awaiting modernization. In October 2021, the Navy restructured its C-130T upgrade program and the trainer cockpit was no longer required. Tactical Airlift Program Office  team members obtained permission to donate the massive piece of equipment to the Patuxent River Air Museum and the item was towed to the museum on April 10 beginning its next adventure.  

“It was quite a sight to see the cockpit roll down the taxiway and then out Gate 1,” said Zac Bongianino, PMA-207 C/KC-130T avionics integrated program team lead. “I hope that in the near future, aviation fans will get a chance to experience what it is like to sit in a C-130 cockpit when they visit the museum. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this happen.”