Episode Details

C-130s are capable of landing very rudimentary runways, including grass, coral, sand, dirt, etc. Yet, they can't land on all types of surfaces because some are too soft to support the weight and tyre pressures of a C-130. In the Royal Australian Air Force, the science of figuring out which runways can support a C-130 belongs to the Airfield Engineers. This episode features Gilbert Gonthier who led the Mobile Airfield Engineering Team (MAET) in 2007-08. In this episode of Workhorse, Gilbert describes how airfield engineers assess runways for suitability, along with snippets from his long career in the RAAF.