View Full Version : FA/18's over Sydney
Ultergra
1st Sep 2009, 22:53
Rumour has it Sydney is expecting a fly over by some FA18's today the 2nd Sept... any details?
Signature
1st Sep 2009, 23:26
Yeah... I think I read that on PPRune.
Any idea what time?
Shlonghaul
1st Sep 2009, 23:34
They're doing a flypast over the city as there's a ceremony on at the Cenotaph at Martin Place this afternoon, not sure what time.
Checklist Charlie
2nd Sep 2009, 00:12
All hush hush secret AFP charter looking for the lost integrity of a (former) NSW Government minister. Hope they are as successful as they were in finding the Victorian minister lost near Feathertop! But that's a secret as well.
Captain Sand Dune
2nd Sep 2009, 00:53
Playing "chicken" with some tall buidings!:eek:
Any bets on the number of hysterical phone calls to radio/TV stations?:rolleyes:
Signature
2nd Sep 2009, 01:07
Coorect answer was 11AM...
boardpig
2nd Sep 2009, 01:12
Yup,
Just gone over. Did cause quite a stir round here and among other places in the city. Not that I mind of course, but I think there might be some explaining to do....noise was rather loud for some poor souls here....
BP
Trojan1981
2nd Sep 2009, 02:08
Did cause quite a stir round here and among other places in the city.
For real? Did you see how high it was?:zzz:
CazbahKid
2nd Sep 2009, 02:16
(Crazy loud roars)
Holy :mad:!!!
A few people round the office thought a building was collapsing, and one genius even suggested the following:
"Wow, if it's that loud in here, they must be passing supersonic!"
"Err, don't think so pal..."
"Yeah they must be!"
"Pretty sure the windows wouldn't be here right now if they were." ;)
Battle for Australia day.
Battle for Australia Council (http://www.battleforaustralia.org.au/)
N
Shlonghaul
2nd Sep 2009, 04:31
F/A-18 flight commemorates war dead
AAP
September 2, 2009
A Royal Australian Air Force F/A-18 fighter jet has soared through Sydney skies today to commemorate all who served and died in the defence of Australia in 1942 and 1943.
Curious onlookers saw the aircraft zoom over Garden Island and Woolloomooloo, in Sydney's east, just after 11am.
It then performed a maximum power vertical climb over the Cenotaph in Martin Place.
The Battle for Australia Day is each year acknowledged on the first Wednesday in September.
It commemorates all actions taken in the Pacific Region to defend Australia against the Japanese military force
groper
2nd Sep 2009, 07:40
..noise was rather loud for some poor souls here...
Tell 'em it's the sound of freedom. :ok:
Front Pit
2nd Sep 2009, 08:53
Tell 'em it's the sound of freedom.
Good one groper :D :D .......... And what a great sound it is! :ok:
I was up in Darwin a few weeks ago while the major US/Aust. exercise was in full swing and some clown wrote in to the local rag complaining about the noise of the jets over the city and suggesting that they all should be moved far away from the civilian population centres while "they played their games". (He actually made some such put down comment, that it was all merely boys with toys etc.)
Someone, (I'd be guessing someone who wore a drab khaki uniform to work), wrote in the next day with that same comment - "It's the sound of freedom."
It's a pity Ronnie RAAF doesn't run a tour of the air base to show such clowns the cannon shell holes - not "ours"! - in the roof frame of one of the main hangars that was in situ in February 1942. (I assume they're still there.)
You can trust the Yanks to out-do any of us in dealing with complaints about their aircraft over 'sensitive' civilian spots (and 'sensitive' civilians). This I got in an email some time ago. It doesn't matter if it's factual or someone's creation, (e.g., I find the "21 gun salute" for a USAF captain a bit suss), the sentiments would strike a chord with many who wear the uniform for a largely unappreciative populace. (For those who don't know Luke AFB, it's more or less the USAF equivalent of Willy - i.e., fighter central.)
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by
civilization who complain about the noise from the base and its planes,
forgetting that it was there long before they were.
Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere near Luke AFB wrote the
local paper complaining about a group of F-16s that disturbed his/her
day at the mall.
When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must
have stung quite a bit.
The complaint:
'Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the
morning air show? Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight
formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall,
continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our
good fortune! Does the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up
call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns early bird
special? Any response would be appreciated.
The response:
Regarding 'A wake-up call from Luke's jets' On June 15, at precisely
9:12 A.M., a perfectly timed four- ship fly by of F-16s from the 63rd
Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt.
Jeremy Fresques.
Capt. Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at
Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30, Memorial Day.
At 9 A.M. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland
Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and
friend.
Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by, and because of the
jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of
taps, or my words to the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques as I gave
Them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States
and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the
sacrifices they have endured.
A four-ship flyby is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those
who give their lives in defense of freedom.
We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15
what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay
their ultimate respects.
The letter writer asks, 'Whom do we thank for the morning air show? The
56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to
the widow and parents of Capt. Fresques, and thank them for you, for it
was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of
their lives.
Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you . . . Jesus
Christ and the American Servicemen and Women of the U.S. armed services.
One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.
Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.
USAF
A real noise complaint.....(MA 15+, Frequent Coarse Language, Adult Themes)
Da7rjHT61uk
Taildragger67
3rd Sep 2009, 10:09
To LTCOL Rosensteel:
:ok: :D :ok: :D :ok: :D
[repeat until further notice]
You sound like you'd be a cracking CO to serve under.
To CAPT Fresques loved ones:
Thank you for your sacrifice.
To the complainer:
:mad: off you silly :mad: and find something real to whinge about. Enjoy the flying skill on show but pray you don't get to see it very often as means someone has paid the ultimate sacrifice.
Rant over
harrogate
3rd Sep 2009, 10:21
I was lucky enough to be making my way past the Opera House on the way to a late breakfast meeting when the F-18 came in yesterday.
He stuck it on its tail right over the city and scared the living **** out of every Chinese tourist in sight.
Good work that man.
This is all that exists on YouTube:
<object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/feuxCcQMvJc&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/feuxCcQMvJc&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>
Cap'n Bunghole
3rd Sep 2009, 10:21
Hempy,
Thanks for the laugh. I haven't heard that one for a few years.
If you listen closely, you can hear a jet screaming past during his rant.
Classic stuff!:ok:
teresa green
3rd Sep 2009, 10:41
What about the goose who lived close to Williamtown NSW, and for entertainment he took potshots at both military and civilian aircraft with a 303 and upon a visit from both military and NSW wallopers, he declared that the noise caused him and his missus to miss part of his favorite TV shows, so stuff em! I think he now enjoys his TV as a guest of Her Majesty and will continue to do so for some time to come.
Wiley's letter is almost spot on.
The complete story can be read at snopes.com (http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/wakeup.asp).
The response from the original complainer followed a few days later. I'd copy and paste it here but snopes doesn't allow it. You'll just have to follow the link above and read it yourself.
C-change
3rd Sep 2009, 11:13
Working in AMB a few years ago with an English controller, two F111's departed for a low navex out around Dalby etc, when the phone rang. A lady wanted to make a noise complaint.
English accent ATC "Hello, this is FLTLT XXXX, what appears to be the problem madam"
Woman " The problem is that I just had the **** scared out of me by those bloody noisy jets, flying low over my house"
English ATC " I see, did they have any red stars on their tails"
Woman " No of course not "
English ATC " Then there is no problem madam, there ours, good night" and he hung up. :D
Captain Sand Dune
3rd Sep 2009, 23:39
Some time our North Western NSW military flying school received a call from an irate doctor at the local hospital complaining about those noisy CT4s flying over the hospital.
For those who don’t know the CT4 is about as noisy as a C172, and at about 1,500FT AO is scarcely audible above the ambient noise of the activity ion the town below.
At the time we were conducting a series of famil flights for the local Army Reserve unit personnel which consisted of a lap around the town and maybe a few aeros well North of the town. The lap around the town took us almost directly over the hospital, however as previously stated we were operating no lower than about 1,500FT AO. The doctor in question assumed we had changed the route to our training area. Well, about six aircraft on a Friday for about four weeks would obviously give that impression.:rolleyes:
For those that don’t know our training area is to the South West of the airfield while the town is to the East.
The fact that we have DHC8s in and out about six times/day, LR35’s about twice a day, bank runners early in the morning and late in the afternoon, various and numerous another aircraft of all types doing everything from charter to training, all which would have flown much closer to the town (and therefore the hospital) during approach and departure didn’t register with this Einstein.:ugh:
Our conversation ended shortly after I questioned him on how he dealt with the Westpac rescue helicopter (BK117, B212, B412) landing on the helipad situated on the hospital grounds nearly every day. Obviously far less noisy than a CT4 flying 1,500FT above him!:}
I think some people just resent the fact that we have a military.
Then there was the dropkick who lived in D442 (helicopter training area near Canberra), knowing full well that his property was within a military helicopter training area who threatened to shoot us.
Ahh Captain SD, D442... (and the even more interesting but only rarely visited D442E).
It wasn't always a one way street as to who was culpable when complaints were made. I (to this day embarrassedly) recall doing a practice auto onto a farmer's freshly reaped (but not yet harvested) paddock (with all the cut crop very neatly arrayed in pleasing-to-the-eye rows, dark green/pale green repeated ad infinitum to the far away treeline.
...until Muggins wound the throttle on just before going into the flare (perhaps a little later than SOPs dictated) and happily flew away to continue his sortie.
...leaving behind a very large 'crop circle' that would have sent any self-respecting UFO nut into a slavering fit.
The farmer never complained, but Muggins had to look at that very untidy field for the next week.
------
Anyone else recall the "mushrooming sorties" in the same D442 every winter? Best (and biggest) mushies I have ever seen (and eaten). The size of dinner plates. Dozens and dozens of 'em.
groper
5th Sep 2009, 00:47
I think some people just resent the fact that we have a military.
Agreed. Received a whine from some vineyard in Mudgee in the late 90's. They were having a music and wine festival of some description and complained most bitterly that the whole thing had been ruined by a Caribou overflying the place.
It turned the graceful lady of the skies had overflown Mudgee enroute to Amberley at 9,000ft (about 7000ft AGL). Now I can attest that a pair of P&W R2000s at cruise power aren't all that quiet but puleeeze! I enjoyed drafting the response....never heard another thing. :)
Captain Sand Dune
5th Sep 2009, 02:38
Received a whine from some vineyard in Mudgee How much did you get then?:} (Sorry, couldn't help myself!)
QUOTE]Now I can attest that a pair of P&W R2000s at cruise power aren't all that quiet but puleeeze![/QUOTE] Yeah, but it would have taken a couple of hours to fly over the place!:}
Should have organised a "route trainer" into Mudgee every day for the next week. Give 'em something to really whinge about!
groper
5th Sep 2009, 07:19
Yeah, but it would have taken a couple of hours to fly over the place!
Yes, but Caribou pilots do it slowly and get in where it's short, hot, wet and sticky.
Question: How do you tell the Caribou pilot at flight planning?
Answer: He's the one with the calendar
I love how we've moved this from fighter to transport.:ok: :E
You mean fighters via helicopters (when Ronnie had 'em) to transports.
The Caribou... the only fixed wing aircraft known to man that can suffer a birdstrike.
...from behind!
groper
5th Sep 2009, 09:20
Helicopters.....hmmmmm......now don't get me started on weird flying machines. :p
The Caribou... the only fixed wing aircraft known to man that can suffer a birdstrike.
...from behind!
That 'maybe' true, but it's also one of the few that can reverse and do this...:ok:
TSjV7DQqoBA
God bless the 'Bou
I've told the story before here on Pprune, but I'll repeat it - I saw the 'bou do something even more impressive than that. (I think it was) Al Field was doing his final rehearsal for the '71 Richmond airshow in the 'bou and there was a 30 gusting to 40 knot wind blowing, more or less straight down the runway (R/W10). (Which made the staying in front of the crowd in the aeros sequences really interesting!)
I was at the threshold waiting (with a 'bou in finals with a wind like that, it was more a matter of "waiting... waiting...") to get airborne and Al brought the 'bou in and plonked it onto the threshold marking - and that's where it stopped. It may have rolled for four or five feet, but the aircraft came to a stop still on the bars.
The wind wasn't nearly so strong on the day of the display, so the short field landing wasn't nealy so impressive that day.
With a little more wind strength the Bou should be able to do a landing backwards.
Has this been attempted by anyone in a fixed wing?
Call to the tower would have to be "Bou on zero length final". or any other suggestions?
With a little more wind strength the Bou should be able to do a landing backwards.
An instructor of mine told me that when the wind was sufficient they would do an ILS approach, then reverse back up it halfway through.
Gundog01
6th Sep 2009, 10:16
Ah the Bou.....check the fuel, fill up the oil...
Re the oil and recips... A pre 'bou recall.... Paxing on the TSF Gooney Bird from Singapore to Butterworth and seeing a large (and I mean LARGE) amount of oil spilling out from one of the donks all over the upper surface of the wing.
Call Loadie over to point it out to him.
He looks at me over the din as if to say "So?"
I shout: "We're losing a lot of oil from that engine. Would you tell the captain?"
"Nah, nothing to worry about, sir. If we're losing that much, it means we've still got some left!" And returned to his seat.
Cougar
7th Sep 2009, 05:11
Those illustrious Boudrivers shocked me on a major exercise once, when we were doing mission planning for a large package, and the Bou co-pilot asked us to stop whilst he got out his UBD street directory to check his nav planning!! True story.
groper
7th Sep 2009, 08:14
Yep, I have been called as "lost contact" in a Caribou on radar as there was no "moving target" due strong headwinds on approach.
Yep, a lightish Caribou on a STOL arrival can stop on the threshold with a decent headwind.
Yep, 18 gallons of oil in EACH engine oil tank PLUS what was in the lines and the sump. 1.5 gallons/hour was acceptable burn.
It had a face that only a mother could love, it looked absolutely graceful airborne, was satisfying to operate into short strips and smelled like old socks - but I loved it. Last look will be in TVL in November. http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-sad010.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)