Re unusual loads, in 1968 we participated in a major NATO exercise in N Norway. One of the airfields we used was Bardufoss which for those who dont know was a German fighter base during WW2 and was the airfield from which the fighters that were protecting Tirpitz should have been scrambled but due to an intelligence cock up weren't, thereby saving 9 and 617 Sqns from being annihilated.
Anyway, the aircraft hangers and dispersals were tunneled into the mountain and apparently had not been much used since WW2. There were piles of german helmets and memorabilia just lying around, I dread to think of the unexploded ordnance that must have been there.
There were Hercs from a number of nationalities; parked next to us was a Canadian. The crew had been exploring around the area and had found an old Howitzer, the type with solid metal wheel rims, and decided it would make a great souvenier. Lots of debate followed about weight, floor loading etc etc - all the good advice was ignored and they proceeded to winch the beast into their aircraft without using the elephant's foot to support the cill. Down comes the cill, up goes the nose, crunch goes the ramp as the rusty howitzer wheels tear into it and now they can neither get the gun into the aircraft nor off the ramp.
We started up and left for Andoya, leaving the Canadian Herc with its nose in the air and the gun half in and half out of the aircraft.
ISTR the gun was like this but even bigger this type weights about 2000kg
