F-111 across Brisbane Monday PM

[Merlins Magic]

About 10:15pm last night, I heard the unmistakable sound of an F-111 doing a great rate of knots at I'd guess a few thousand feet across the north eastern suburbs of Brisbane. Was inside at the time so didn't get a look at it.

Just curious as to what he was upto at that hour of the night - apart from having a ball. It is very unusual for them to be so low and fast that late at night. Obviously no consideration for noise abaitment.

MM

[maxeemum]

Ahhhhh what was he up to? Probably doing his job.


:D

[THE IRON MAIDEN]

Doing his job.. GOLD!

I'd say given recent events of things falling off aircraft (Bolt from a 73 and wheel from a pig) I'd be doing the old duck and cover if I heared a pig over head..

I reckon if he was low over the suburbs, he might have be stalking his ex girlfirend....

[maxeemum]

Unless you are a parked car at AMB, you have little to fear from the PIG, except the cross hairs on your .......... but thats another story!

:cool:

[Swingwing]

Merlin magic -

A common night sortie involves coming off the range at Evans Head and blasting northwards up the coast at low level. Probably started on TFR and then maybe came off it for a bit of night hand flying practice over water (instrument scan at low level and 500+ kts over water is hugely demanding and part of the usual instrument rating renewal). Either that or they've run a target to the north and have cruised down Fraser on RTB.

Either way, usual practice was to pop up from low level passing the northern tip of Straddie, and contact Brissie approach for direct Amberley at around 5000 ft. That track usually takes you over the inner north and western suburbs as you manoeuvre to pick the low TACAN approach from the NE- maybe diverting a bit left or right to check out your house with the Pave Tack pod - just to make sure that the missus doesn't have any unauthorised visitors in the driveway!

Wouldn't have been very quick though I don't expect - no more than 350-400 knots or so. Probably just a clear and quiet night to help the sound carry.

(Although I did get asked by a Brisbane controller one night for "best possible speed until clear of the Brisbane CTR". Having waited years for the opportunity I was able to say - "Are you SURE you want my best speed? How about I just give you 600 knots and we save ourselves the bill for the broken glass?" :cool:

cheers

SW

[tinpis]

Safer than taking the bridge.:uhoh:

[Capn Bloggs]

instrument scan at low level and 500+ kts over water is hugely demanding
...for a bomber pilot...and his/her observer:} :E

[Jet_A_Knight]

Hey swingwing! Half your luck!:ok:

[Fliegenmong]

Ha HA Swing - well with a name like that :rolleyes: :} :D

Tin, you know about the bridge?:uhoh:

[The_Cutest_of_Borg]

Was this you Swingwing?:eek:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtgQoWcQnw4

[tinpis]

I wonder whatever became of a former PIG nav known as "Phil McGlass"? :p
Last heard of in Bahrain?

Great bloke one morning was woken by Plod in his car from a deep sleep outside Dix nightclub with his engine still running:hmm:

[Swingwing]

Thanks for posting that one Borg - fantastic!:} I deny any involvement though....

Has to be the Evans Head range hut debacle from a few years back (although the video perspective is different from the one I've seen, so not 100% sure). If it's the one I'm thinking of, the bit of the video that isn't posted there is also instructive - the hooting and hollering turns to silence as they film the glass all over the floor inside, and realise the implications of what they've just seen.

There was a "show trial" at Amberley afterwards and they were all sent to the naughty corner for a while....

And ho ho ho Bloggs - but low level for a bomber pilot is actually defined as anywhere below 20 000', unlike in the knuck world - so can't afford to be staring at the radar while you lose a couple of thousand feet through inattention. But good point on the navs - usually fixated on the floor in fear at 100' ASL at night!

SW

[jon s gull]

Merlin magic -
over water (instrument scan at low level and 500+ kts over water is hugely demanding and part of the usual instrument rating renewal).

Nice work if you canget it! at 10 ft and over the crop at night / 140kts we usually leave an instrument scan till we are up in the turn [about your transit height] me and my sat nav.

Next time you go past blink your lights.

[Swingwing]

Jon Gull:

Respec', as Ali G would say. Night ag pilots have cojones of concrete.

SW

[jon s gull]

Aaah , so thats why the wife complains of bruised thighs.

[High-Bypass]

No intention to hijack the thread, but anyone wishing to see SwingWing in action

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUGeKtRoIyc :ok:

[Pinky the pilot]

Very snappy salute at the end Swingwing:ok::E but I thought that you were'nt supposed to salute without a hat on?:confused::D

[Mick.B]

What was the ground speed of the second pass at Evans Head.