Aussie Aircraft Thread

I don't have a pic unfortunately, but the most amazing sight I've ever seen was flying over western Qld at Dawn many years ago when there had been big rains after a very long drought - looked like pools of silver lying in a desert . Incredible. Tokyo at night is awesome, as is Sydney anytime of the day. When HK had Kai Tak, it was daggy but great, now just boring...

 

Hey Mikey, I use to go to this every year with the triple ones

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HbvZhrt2NBo

Bought back a lot of memories of Nellis and some funny things that happened with taxiing aircraft fully loaded

 

I used to love watching the triple ones flying low and fast over the RAN Frigates when we were exercising off the NSW coast

I recall another time when we were off the coast of WA and a group of about a dozen sailors decided it would be a good idea if they all lined up on the quarterdeck and bared their backsides at the pilots of the Macchi Jets - I suppose that you'd get in a bit of trouble for that these days but apparently the ship's CO had a smile on his face as he told the sailors to report to the Engineers cabin immediately (not surprisingly no one turned up)

 

I'm sad I never saw anything happening at Nellis when I was in Las Vegas - the least they could've done was send off a B-1B or something to keep me entertained

Still sad all the F-111s are gone - and we didn't even get one for our local RAAF museum!

Just been listening to an episode of the Omega Tau podcast on flying Concorde, with a guy who did it for quite a few years:
166 ? Flying the Concorde | omega tau
Nice interview - didn't know there was a Concorde sim at Brooklands you could have a go in!

Also a great new Omega Tau episode on race car design, with some guys from TMG who did the Toyota F1 car, WRC cars and now LMP1 car: 170 ? Race Car Design | omega tau
Nerd city!

 

Dropping of the trousers is an old tradition in the RAAF

Did a rescue eight in Darwin many moons (haha) ago , inertial nav and AFCS broken so I got sent to fix it, flew up with Bill Hayden in a BAC-111.

When the plane was fixed they taxiied to the end of the BRS , lifted the gull wing door, waved , we waved back (pants down of course ), then took off laughing , the pilots were good fun back in those days

Your sailor boys were trouble back in the day, the RAAF could be in Hawaii for weeks and no problems, the day after the RAN landed ashore all Aussies were banned from all the nightclubs

 

Interesting doco on the Caribou in RAAF service:
https://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/untold-stories-of-the-raaf/-/watch/27171224/untold-stories-of-the-raaf-caribou-sun-19-apr-season-1-episode-1/
I remember seeing one of them do a display before the Red Bull Air Race here once, and my mind comprehend the size-vs-speed combination. It looked like it must've been filled with helium or something... at least until the back door opened and the loadmaster sat on the ramp with his legs dangling over the edge, waving to the crowd

 

They avoid headwinds at all costs except for vertical takeoff

My slowest trip to Sydney was in a Caribou, and that includes my many car trips

 

Great Anzac morning in Coolum - we have a crew rowing at Gallipolli (boat donated by a bloke from my patrol whose granddad was at Gallipolli) while at home this morning 3 boats carrying 3 poppies each (total 9 for the number of Coolum lifesavers killed in WW1) rowed into the beach with buglers up on the point and in the tower... Tucked in to savoury mince on toast (which is apparently what the diggers ate that morning) followed by Anzac bikkies, a swim and the whole lot topped off by an F18 making a low sweep and waggling its wings at the tower!

 

Well,we had a replica Spitfire doing blockies above Main Street half an hour ago,when the march was on....very cool.

 

Pic or it didn't happen

 

Here's a more modern documentary on Red Flag

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7zk_2S5esE

Some interesting aircraft, I got to see the B1 when it was first rolled out the hangar ....... MASSIVE is all you can say, a BIG triple one

 

I tried but didn't have my glasses on! These were as good as I could do in the circumstances.
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Is it a bird ?

Is it a plane ?

 

It's Klink with his undies on the outside.

 

Pics from Turkey where the boys *nearly* ended up in 8deg water, and warmer waters at home!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

This should be in its own thread.

Nundah this morning.

 

Guess the location - from this evening.
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Moonrise
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

Ceduna

 

No. Ceduna is pretty flat.

This is about as mountainous as SA gets. One "Peak" in the background is around 4,000ft.

 

Mount Barker

 

After helping work on my mate's new plane for the flying school he offered me a fly in it which was a nice surprise.. nice and light on the controls, 100hp Rotax, Bristell and more interesting paintwork than normal!
Image Unavailable, Please Login
Image Unavailable, Please Login

 

No. It's Hawker in the Flinders Ranges. Beautiful place.

Nice looking machine.

 

This Anson at Mallala went in around three seconds earlier than it should have!
Image Unavailable, Please Login