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Hercules

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP 10 BESTSELLER

Read the legendary story of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft, seen through the eyes of former RAF captain Scott Bateman


Take wing with an unsung hero . . .

Hercules is the hero of the skies we never talk about. First to land in any combat zone and last out, the Hercules always unflashily gets the job done – whether that’s a risky air drop or hauling out troops in an emergency evac.
Also working as an aerial tanker, gunship, spyplane, air-sea rescuer and even a precision bomber, its versatility has time and again seen the Hercules give the RAF their edge – from Antarctica to Iraq, Afghanistan to the Falklands.
Captain Scott Bateman drags us into the cockpit and buckles us in for an extraordinary pilot’s seat view of this aircraft’s 50-year history.

Anytime. Anywhere. Anyhow.

'An engaging and revealing read' JOHN NICHOL

‘An action-packed insider’s account of what it’s like to fly this legendary flying machine in peace and war’ KeyAero.com

©2024 Scott Bateman (P)2024 Penguin Audio

 Air Forces Armed Forces Engineering Military Military & War Aviation Greek Mythology Middle East War Mythology Ancient Greece

Critic reviews

An action-packed insider’s account of what it’s like to fly this legendary flying machine in peace and war
All stars
Most relevant
This book describes what life was like working on and around the RAF fleet of Hercules very well.
It tells the story of what bonded everyone at that station in the good times and the bad.

Very well narrated and easy to follow even if you are not military minded.


Really enjoyed the book and it's worth a listen.

Worth a listen and throughly enjoyed it.

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I loved this. From the moment it started. Amazing recollections and anecdotes. In places, moved to tears.

Well worth the read.

Amazing read

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Well written good story telling with an excellent narrator. Highlights from many years of service of the Hercules. I have read a number of books on flying and this is up there with the best. The writer covers other peoples events as well as his own. If you like flying books I would recommend this one

Excellent Book

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Really enjoyed this series of tales about the many varied actions that the C-130 has been involved in with the RAF. Also interesting to hear about Scott’s journey to becoming a pilot. I did feel that some of the stories were a little over dramatic at times - however that’s possibly in contrast to other things I’ve listened to more recently which were more specifically related to military action with a high threat level. That said - any of the stories would be considered pretty dramatic alongside “normal” life. Some sad parts too as there are also recollections of tragedies and the impact they had on crew, friends and family.

Interesting stories if an iconic aircraft

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As title really. The book flows and has zero filler. Lots of detail of a career well lived. Some excellent anecdotes, I really enjoyed it. Recommended.

A really fabulous account of lived experience.

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