
This is the extraordinary moment two US Air Force personnel are seen dangling their legs out the back of a plane as it soars over the picturesque Welsh valleys.

The man and woman were spotted hanging their legs out the back of a C-130 Hercules as it soared at around 300mph just 250ft from the ground.

The two American air force personnel could be seen grinning as they took in the mountains of Snowdonia National Park, North Wales.

The US military and the RAF regularly take part in low level manoeuvres in the designated military low fly area.

The C-130 Hercules was designed by Lockheed Martin after the United States Air Force asked manufacturers to produce a new plane for transporting troops in the Korean War.

It is a four engine turboprop military transport plane with a payload of 45,000lbs and is considerable in size at 92ft long and with a wingspan of 132ft.

The two service personnel, wearing camouflage and headsets, enjoy the picturesque view of the mountains at Snowdonia

The man and woman were spotted hanging their legs out the back of a C-130 Hercules as it soared at around 300mph just 250ft from the ground

Enjoying the view: The US military and the RAF regularly practise low level manoeuvres in the designated military low fly area

The C-130 Hercules (pictured) was designed by Lockheed Martin after the United States Air Force asked manufacturers to produce a new plane for transporting troops in the Korean War

The brilliant snaps were captured by photographer Mike Smith, who told The Sun: 'I couldn't believe it, it was amazing.

'It looks like they were on a training exercise and the lady on the left looks like she's having a nice time.

'Sometimes they have training sessions and rides around here but I've never seen anything like this before.'

'It just looked like they were having a little joyride.'

The first model of the C-130 Hercules entered service on August 23 1954 with a capacity of 92 passengers, 72 combat troops or 64 paratroopers in a 41 feet-long and 9-feet wide interior.

Designed for use on unprepared runways, the C-130 quickly became used for disaster relief and search and rescue by the US and its allies including Britain and Australia.