General
fat albert
What does fat albert mean?
Affectionate nickname for the C-130 Hercules, the four-engine turboprop workhorse that's hauled troops, vehicles and pallets for every Western military since 1956. The name comes from the bulging fuselage — fat-bodied compared with sleek jets — and was cemented when the US Navy Blue Angels' support C-130 became known as Fat Albert, putting on JATO-bottle takeoffs at airshows. The handle is now universal.
"Whole platoon got loaded onto Fat Albert at Brize for the flight down to Cyprus."
Origin
US military, popularised by the Blue Angels' support C-130 and the 1970s Bill Cosby cartoon character of the same name.
Frequently asked questions
What does Fat Albert mean?
It's a nickname for the Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft.
How do you use Fat Albert in a sentence?
"Fat Albert flew a low pass over the crowd before the airshow started."
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