Canada's longest-serving C-130E Hercules officially retired on Tuesday, as it made its final flight from Trenton to Ottawa.
The massive military transport plane performed one last flyby before landing at Ottawa's Rockcliffe Airport. The aircraft, which has been in service for more than 50 years, then taxied to the nearby Canada Aviation and Space Museum, where it will become part of the museum's permanent collection.
A crowd of aviation buffs, schoolchildren and dignitaries gathered at the museum to mark the occasion.
Former crew members were also in attendance to take one last look at the plane.
Described as a "true workhorse" of the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Hercules can serve a variety of purposes, from transporting troops to search and rescue to delivering humanitarian aid.
"It is the most successful air transport aircraft ever built," Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood told CTV Ottawa.
"It's sturdy; it's like a Mack truck. It can get into short air fields; it can operate at the coldest temperatures in the north, and the hottest in the desert. They just designed it right."
This model of the Hercules was designed in the 1950s, and the now-retired aircraft first entered service in 1965.
Alex Benay, president and CEO of Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, said the donated plane will fast become a favourite of museum patrons.
"It will become a cornerstone of our collection absolutely, for sure, almost instantaneously," he said.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Eric Longley
