The Airmobility Workhorse

The first fifty-five years of C-130 operations

Bill Kourelakos

$44.99

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

BIG SKY PUBLISHING
26 August 2025

Military history; Air forces & warfare; War & defence operations; Weapons & equipment

The Airmobility Workhorse, focuses on the operational history of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Royal Australian (RAAF) service, spanning the A, E and H models from 1958 to 2012, leaving the J model to be covered in the future.

The C-130 was the catalyst for a transformational shift from Second World War technology to leading-edge aircraft systems in RAAF air mobility and in the broader Air Force.

It is a detailed and balanced reflection of what the mighty Hercules did for Australia and how it affected who flew it, fixed it, supported it, flew as passengers or benefitted from the missions it conducted. This aricraft was truly Australias Airmobility Workhorse.

By: Bill Kourelakos
Imprint: BIG SKY PUBLISHING
Country of Publication: Australia
Edition: Not for Online
Dimensions: Height: 285mm, Width: 220mm,
ISBN: 9781923300095
ISBN 10: 1923300091
Pages: 280
Publication Date: 26 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Air Commodore Bill Kourelakos recently retired from the RAAF in 2020 after 32 years of military service in both the Canadian Forces and the Royal Australian Air Force. His career consisted of four tours as a C-130 Navigator; over 20 deployed operations; a variety of staff appointments in Air Mobility Group, Air Force Headquarters, and Joint Operations Command; and Commands / Deputy Commands in No 36 and 37Squadrons, Task Group 633.4, No 86 Wing, Air Mobility and Training Development Unit, Northern Command, Headquarters Air Command, and Air Mobility Group. Along with being a qualified teacher specialising in History, his broad career makes him eminently qualified to write the history of the mighty C-130 Hercules. Bill has two adult children, and although ‘retired’ in the Hawkesbury region, he maintains an active lifestyle by devoting his time to writing, podcasting, guitar, playing ice hockey, some reserve work, and his 1972 Chevelle.