C-130A Hercules Touches Down at Richmond

The first C-130A Hercules touched down at Richmond airbase on delivery from the United States, beginning a new era in RAAF airlift which lasted more than half a century. A total of five aircraft arrived under command of Wing Commander Ian Olorenshaw, who captained the first machine to touch down. Although a formal ceremony had been held on 6 November at the Lockheed factory in Marietta, Georgia, at which the aircraft were handed over to Australia’s Ambassador to the US, Howard Beale, a further ceremony was arranged at which the recently retired Vice-President of Lockheed represented the company. In receiving its first Hercules just two years after the US Air Force accepted its first aircraft of this type, the RAAF became the first international operator. In later years, the RAAF also became the only country (apart from the US) which has flown four generations of this one type.