In Viet Nam, Lockheed replaced both wings etc. on a C-130 that had been shot up 300+ times and when they finished an Air Force flight crew flew it out. It was at Quan Loi, a dirt or PSP strip. Of course a C-130 could take off in a much shorter distance.
C-130s were designed for soft field operations...
Twas kind of funny, years ago a crew was supposed to deliver a 747 to Connie Kalitta's operation at the old Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda Michigan. Some how they mistook the runway at Iosco county airport for Wurtsmith and landed the aircraft there. Iosco's runway is 4800' X 75' runway, Wurthless runway is 11,800' X 200'. They brought in a special crew to fly the plane out, pushed the plane as far back as the could at the end of the runway to where the MLG tires were almost in the grass. Fired up the engines and ran them up to power to burn off the excess fuel, when the weight was right they released the brakes and flew her out.
