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80the exception of an apparatus known as a Britannia Freight Lift Platform, specifically designed for lifting loads up to the height of the freight access door in a Britannia. Britannias were programmed for a leisurely 24-hour turn-round, and the Air Load-Master generally stayed with the Movements Team to help, whilst the rest of the crew went into town for a cultural visit (of which more later).Early in my stay, it was decided to use C-130 Hercules instead of Brits on what were called tactical turn-rounds, of 15 hours only, with aircraft arriving mid-afternoon and leaving at about 0600 the next day. This departure time was important, as the first leg back to the UK, from Majunga to Muharraq, was about 14 hours flying and near the limit of the Herc. To get off the short-ish runway at Majunga, with maximum fuel on board, required a take-off in the cool temperature of the early morning; but this small civilian airport, on which we were squatting, only operated from 0800 to dusk. Airport Air Traffic, Meteorology and Fire crews were manned to allow takeoff at 0600, but the Fuel Supplier was not. That meant refuelling the Herc the day before, sometimes before we had off-loaded all of the incoming freight, and certainly before we had loaded the outgoing freight %u2013 most of which comprised aircraft and vehicle spare parts and tools. Unlike with Brits, we were not aided by the Loadmaster, as Herc crews abandoned their aircraft to our tender mercies, and went off to town for a %u201ctactical%u201d rest, leaving me with an admonition to make bloody sure she was ready for the 0600 take-off.A C-130 with maximum fuel is inherently tail-heavy %u2013 and from this basic fact developed a sphincter-tightening episode. Now, listen carefully %u2013 there%u2019ll be a test at the end. This particular afternoon, we had to empty the aircraft and refuel it before re-loading it. The onboard winch was unserviceable, so everything had to be man-handled aboard, either carrying it, or pushing and pulling it up the tail ramp if it was too heavy to carry. All was going well, until I was told that there was a last-minute item which simply had to return to UK for overhaul %u2013 a Shackleton engine, known as a Griffon power-plant. These weighed, from memory, about 4500 lbs, and were normally mounted on an air-transportable stand, which was lightweight and