One of the Canadian Armed Forces C-130 Hercules planes has been spotted in the skies above the South Okanagan.
Residents have seen the plane flying low over Okanagan Lake, as well flying above the Similkameen Valley.
The plane is one of the most commonly used military transports, and a variant of the plane is also used for rescue operations.
The version of the plane spotted in Penticton bears the hallmarks of the 130H, which is the version used primarily for search and rescues, with a range of more than 7,200 kilometres and the ability to operate on short, unpaved runways.
Parachute jumps were also captured by local photographer Mike Biden as the plane and those onboard trained in the area of Penticton Airport.
HERCULES C-130 pic.twitter.com/sRUwjRoC3S
— Penticton Fire Photographer - Mike Biden (@FireBiden) November 15, 2023
The eight RCAF Hercules 130H planes for search and rescue are based in Trenton, Ontario; Greenwood, Nova Scotia; and Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Based on the numbering visible in photographs, the plane spotted in Penticton is 335, which entered service in 1985 and rotated through multiple bases, as well making visits to the U.K. in 2005 and 2006 according to the Canadian Heritage Warplane Museum.
The plane was also deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan in December, 2009.
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The plane was spotted in Keremeos on Nov. 8, and resting on the tarmac of the Penticton Regional Airport on Nov. 14.
The region played host to low-flying helicopters for training in September when the city hosted the Vancouver-based Heavy Urban Search and Rescue team (HUSAR) and other SAR teams from across Western Canada.
READ MORE: It’s only a drill: Penticton to host emergency-response exercises