herkman,
judging by the length of the fire tender it looks a tight squeeze getting up the ramp and on to the main floor. Sounds a great trip all round.
I had a good look round the 'A' when we visited Richmond and also round a USAF gunship version in Thailand. I believe they were known as the GT model on account of the excellent power to weight ratio due in part to the lower MTOW. When I did the HEART job I seem to recall that the RAAF had by far and away the best safety record of anyone operating the Hercules. Huge respect.
And the RAF was still operating the Beverley and Hastings !