River McCrossen
18 May 2025, 2:40 AM
Lake Cargelligo's aspiring pilots can take a tour of the cockpit when a C-130 Hercules lands at the local aerodrome on 1 June.
The over 30-metre long air-carrier will land in the morning as part of NAIDOC Week, which starts on 27 May.
Event goers will also have the chance to wear a bomb suit, pilot a bomb disposal robot and chat to Australian Defence Force (ADF) members.
"We head out and people think it's just pilots and infantry soldiers. It's just broadening that knowledge of what's actually out there," said Sergeant Ron Schultz, an Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Indigenous Liaison Officer.
"There's load masters, there's movement operators that assist with the loading, there's mechanics, navigators."
Locals will also have a taste of ration packs and AFD uniforms.
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The first C-130 took to the sky in the 1950s.
The transport will travel about 400 kilometres as by the crow flies from RAAF Base Richmond before returning in the afternoon
Hercules crews use the Lake airstrip for training, and last opened their aircraft for public tours in November 2024.
They also landed in Gilgandra for their NAIDOC Week in July 2024.
"When we went to Gilgandra and always advertised prior, we got 600 to 1000 people there," Sergeant Schultz said.
The plant type entered into Australian service in 1958, with the current models able to carry up to 124 passengers.
The Australian government committed to buying 20 more of the aircraft in July 2023, adding to a fleet of 12.
The first delivery is expected in 2027.