Workhorse - RAAF C-130s
"Workhorse" is a podcast about Royal Australian Air Force C-130 Hercules aircraft from their earliest history through to modern times. The series is based on the soon to be released book “Air Mobility Workhorse”, which will be available from Big Sky Publishing.
Topics include:
- Operations from around the globe, including all four corners of the planet, from 1959 to now
- Aircraft technical discussions
- Training
- Roles (Search and Rescue, Air Logistics, Airborne Operations, Special Operations, Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief, Surveillance, Non-combatant Evacuation, Aeromedical Evacuation and Firefighting)
- Maintenance and modifications
- Logistics
- And, of course, the people that made it all possible.
Workhorse - RAAF C-130s
Workhorse - E67 - Overloaded with Allan Edwards
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The Royal Australian Air Force has never crashed a C-130, but there have been a few close calls. One of the most remarkable close calls came three days after Cyclone Tracy devastated Darwin (24 December 1974). In the rush to get emergency equipment to Darwin, C-130E A97-190 was loaded without knowing the exact weight of the six generators in the cargo hold. Taking off on runway 10 at RAAF Richmond, the pilot, Allan Edwards, discovered the error when he pulled on the yoke at 'rotate', ... and nothing happened. As they would discover days later, instead of the planned 155 000 pounds, the aircraft was actually 176 000 pounds - over the manufacturer's wartime limit. Feel the tension in Allan's voice as he describes how the aircraft broke ground at the far end of the runway and then began to sink into the surrounding lowlands. You can hear all about this amazing story and Allan's long flying career (and passion for photography) in this episode of Workhorse.