RAAF Roulettes. Oz Day 2010 YMML

[Buster Hyman]

:ok: Just wanted to send a Cheerio to the Roulettes who put on a cracking good display over Melbourne today. My family & I were thoroughly engrossed in the display. :ok:

(I'll see if any photos are worth posting...)

[FireBatHero]

Haha yeah..

Saw them on the tele during the tennis coverage.

[Buster Hyman]

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr301/BiggyRat/Oz%20day%202010%20Roulettes/IMG_1287.jpg

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/rr301/BiggyRat/Oz%20day%202010%20Roulettes/IMG_1286.jpg

[gileraguy]

we even got an F18 fly by at the Cricket!

must be an election year!

[Wiley]

The three F18s over Sydney Harbour were a non event. I appreciate that they're limited to a ridiculous degree by the rules put in place for any such flyovers, but really, it was a waste of fuel and duty time for the poor sods who had to fly them and the groundcrew who had to work on Australia Day to get them airborne.

As for the lone F111.... come on guys. Admit it. Someone forgot the time zone difference between NSW and Queensland, am I right? Why else did the lone F111 turn up (very, very briefly and only out over the outer harbour) about an hour after everything else was done and dusted?

[oneflewnorth]

Definitely agree with you there Wiley. I was really disappointed in the displays over Sydney. I blinked and missed the Hornets and felt sorry for the F111 pilot. I think I was more disappointed simply because I made my way there and stood all day to see them. Temora Aviation Museum gets more Hornet coverage!
I appreciate the show but was expecting more. I thought a dump and burn was guaranteed considering they're retiring the F111s. Ah well, maybe there isn't a recruit drive this year.
At the end of the day I think the Red Devils were the highlight. Oh! and the A380.

[Captain Sand Dune]

I appreciate that they're limited to a ridiculous degree by the rules put in place for any such flyovers
Too true, but bleating here won't change anything. Maybe a letter to your local member may go some way to watering down the ever-increasing restrictions on flypasts by military aircraft.
Unfortunately it takes only one w*nker to whine about a flypast to completely stuff it up for others. Unfortunately senior officers don't become senior officers by telling these idiots what they thinkl.

[MTOW]

Captain Sand Dune, I have to agree about the wankers. Stand in a crowd for any such display and you're almost sure to hear disparaging, "know-all" comments from people, (usually middle aged males), to anyone within earshot, about the RAAF in general or the (usually misidentified) aircraft doing the display.

Almost without exception, such commentators display an ignorance that is staggering.



What was the story with the F111? It seemed to come in through the Heads at about 2000' and turn right almost immediately. It didn't come any further west than Rose Bay before hareing off over Mosman on its way back to Amberley.

And it did arrive about an hour after the F18s.

If you'd have blinked, you'd have missed it.

[Arm out the window]

Onya, Buster. I have it on very good authority they appreciate your kind words!:)

[Buster Hyman]

Cheers Arm...I took a punt as to whether any of them were on here! :ok:

It brought back a lot of memories for my wife who saw them as a kid back in the 80's. She'd injured her ankle & was on crutches & the Roulette chaps all came over to her, signed her poster & made her feel like a million dollars. :ok:

[MudRat_02]

We didn't get anything on the GC, I was hoping they'd transit over us on their way to Sydney but it doesn't look like that happened. I wouldn't have been over the moon if I were one of the ground crew working to make this happen, just to get an F-111 off the ground these days demands alot of man hours even in fast jet terms, seems like a waste for such a mediocre display.

[Naked_recommiting]

Pigs late? Impossible.

[Wiley]

I thought we might get some sort of reply re the F111's unusual (to say the least) overflight of Sydney.

Anyone out there who can tell us if what Sydney got was what was planned, or was it cut short for some reason?

[Buster Hyman]

Sydney
3 x F/A-18 Hornet (http://www.airforce.gov.au/aircraft/hornet.aspx) - E to W over Harbour Bridge
1 x C-130 Hercules (http://www.airforce.gov.au/aircraft/hercules.aspx) - Heads - Fort Dennison - Bridge - Parramatta
1 x F-111 (http://www.airforce.gov.au/aircraft/f111.aspx) - Heads - Fort Dennison - Bridge - Parramatta
Nelson Bay
1 x F/A-18 Hornet - 540 degree orbit over water in front of Fly Point
Adelaide
1 x F/A-18 Hornet or PC-9 - S to N over CBD
Brisbane
1 x F-111 - S to N along W bank of Southbank
Darwin
3 x F/A-18 Hornet - slow and low single pass
Katherine
3 x F/A-18 Hornet - slow and low single pass
Canberra
3 x F/A-18 Hornet - SE to NW over Lake Burley Griffin, bomb burst over Canadian Flagpole
Gosford, Erina, Tea Gardens
3 x F/A-18 Hornet - S to N over Gosford, W to E over Erina, NE to SW over Tea Gardens
Melbourne, Hampton Park, Dandenong Park, Kings Domain Park, Flemington Park
The Roulettes (http://www.airforce.gov.au/roulettes)
Melbourne
1 x F/A-18 Hornet - two slow and low passes of Town Hall, Shrine, orbit of PPB, and docklands
Perth, Bull Creek, Mitchell Reserve, Langley Park, Perth Water
4 x PC-9 (http://www.airforce.gov.au/aircraft/pc9a.aspx)
No timings will be confirmed for the above mentioned flyovers.
* Subject to change without notice. The Air Force will do everything in its power to make these flyovers happen. However, if operational commitments surface then our number one priority will be to provide air and space power for Australia's security and that may mean that the aircraft may have to be redirected or re-tasked at no notice.

[Wiley]

Sydney
3 x F/A-18 Hornet - E to W over Harbour Bridge
1 x C-130 Hercules - Heads - Fort Dennison - Bridge - Parramatta
1 x F-111 - Heads - Fort Dennison - Bridge - ParramattaI was out on the harbour and didn't see any sign of the Hercs. (That's not to say they didn't make an appearance. It's just that if they did, I didn't see them and no one else on the boat noticed them.)

The F18s, (three in a not always tight vic), did an east to west pass and then a west to east pass at ~2000'. Sorry guys, but it was hardly worth the effort and there were more than a few comments to that effect from some of the people around me. My comments in reply that they were prevented from doing anything even halfway impressive by the overly strict safety rules for flights over populated areas didn't make much impression, particularly after the same people had been watching the Navy Sea King doing all sorts of things, much of them at very low level all day. (A bomb burst just east of the bridge on the second pass would have kept some people happy, but I suppose that would have been off the agenda if R/W16 was active at YSSY.)

The F111, as stated already, came in through the heads about an hour after the F18s, (and from my vantage point, abeam the Opera House, in the far, far distance), did a very impressive steep turn right way waaaay east of Fort Denison, (it seemed to me, almost immediately after entering the heads) and that was the last I saw of it. It never came anywhere near the bridge.

We have standoff weapons these days. Do we practise standoff displays as well?

[Captain Sand Dune]

Mate, it takes only a very few to complain about low flying noisy jets etc to affect a senior officer's career.
Gone are the days when whingers were told where to go. In these matters the wowsers run the show, and our fearless leaders let them.
If I had my way there'd be formations of F18s at 50FT and 0.98 checking for white pointers at Bondi, which is precisely why I'll never be promoted!

[PLovett]

Katherine
3 x F/A-18 Hornet - slow and low single pass

C'mon, Katherine doesn't need a display. They get one every working day of the year. Every time I was down there in 2007 the pax got a display of their tax dollars being turned into noise and fumes. :}

Also a big vote of appreciation for the Roulettes. In 2008 I was at Tennant Creek when they arrived to refuel. They were on their way to Singapore and couldn't do Alice Springs to Tindal with reserves due to some unsightly weather in the way. :uhoh:

Within minutes of the unscheduled landing and the arrival of several hordes of school children, the lads were organising small education groups giving talks about the aircraft, what they do and selling the RAAF as a career. Great effort and the RAAF certainly get value for money from them. Keep up the good work.:ok:

[oneflewnorth]

Herc came through at about 4 I think. Just caught it. Nice tight left turn before the bridge.

Although I bad mouthed the displays, I just wanted to say I appreciate the effort everyone put in, especially when you look at the work put in nationwide.

Wish I got to catch the Roulettes, saw them at Wagga late last year, great display fellas.