Tomago Airstrip

[megan]

In 1966 a Mirage had an engine failure, having just got air borne at Willy, and dead sticked onto the airstrip, I've seen it described as both a crop duster strip and a disused airstrip.

Anyone able to elaborate on the nature of the strip at the time of the occurrence.

Many thanks in advance, just curious.

[LAME2]

Probably not what your after but I found this

https://www.flickr.com/photos/41910848@N06/35333310175


modern technology reenactment.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=N9crnmIoEMY


A good news article on the recovery. Page 19 of 24.

https://www.tomago.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/13932-TOMAGO-News_Vol-2_2019_WEB_2.pdf

[runway16]

Mirage A3-29. Gary Cooper the pilot. He saved the tax payer a lot of $$'s.

May 1966.

R

[Rec aviator]

Mirage A3-29. Gary Cooper the pilot. He saved the tax payer a lot of $$'s.

May 1966.

R
During the Vietnam war, in 1968, Gary Cooper was posted to the US Army 9th Infantry as a Forward Air Controller (FAC), flying the Cessna Bird Dog. He soon established himself as a "legend" in their eyes, to the extent the US Army wanted to recommend him to be awarded the Medal of Honour and the Distinguished Service Cross. Australia wouldn't allow this! For more on this, read his book "Sock it to em Baby".

[Clinton McKenzie]

runway16 is correct. There's some information about the event, including input from the pilot Garry (with two 'r's) Cooper, on the Friends of the RAAF Mirage IIIO & IIID (https://www.facebook.com/groups/raafmirage/) Facebook page.

The original strip is now behind the fences of the Tomago aluminium smelter. Slower going home than getting there:

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/792x575/29_on_tomago_road_eb846985b700af6f73d6d4b0cb0b360a88c0bc2f.j pg

[Clinton McKenzie]

The airstrip’s location:


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1864x1365/img_1090_32cc5776acd5d60b76c74fdac97e107e5e79bb95.jpeg

[Clinton McKenzie]

More history of the airstrip (http://www.speedwayandroadracehistory.com/newcastle-tomago-airstrip-circuit.html).

[megan]

Many thanks Clinton. :ok:the US Army wanted to recommend him to be awarded the Medal of Honour and the Distinguished Service Cross. Australia wouldn't allow thisI had the same response, though not for those grand awards.

[Clinton McKenzie]

The US recently awarded Cooper the Distinguished Flying Cross 'directly'. Here are the two citations:CITATION:

1.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Flight Lieutenant Garry G. Cooper, Royal Australian Air Force, for heroism while participating in aerial flight as a Forward Air Controller near Can Giuoc, Republic of Vietnam, on 6 May 1968. On that date, with complete disregard for his own safety, Flight Lieutenant Cooper repeatedly directed airstrikes from a low altitude and exposed himself to heavy enemy fire in order to pinpoint the enemy and accurately mark them for destruction. His actions were instrumental in the success of the operation and resulted in the saving of numerous friendly lives. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Flight Lieutenant Cooper reflect great credit upon himself and the Royal Australian Air Force.

2.) The President of the United States takes great pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross to Flight Lieutenant Garry G. Cooper for heroism while participating in aerial flight near Cai Nuoc, Republic of Vietnam, on 4 October 1968. On that date, Flight Lieutenant Cooper was flying his O-1 Bird Dog aircraft as a Forward Air Controller in support of friendly ground forces engaged in combat with an opposing hostile force of battalion size. Due to low clouds in the target area, Flight Lieutenant Cooper elected to operate in close proximity to the hostile force where he was extremely vulnerable to the hostile anti-aircraft fire. With complete disregard for his own personal safety, Flight Lieutenant Cooper made low repeated passes over suspected anti-aircraft emplacements to draw their fire from the fighters and force them to reveal their positions to the attacking fighter aircraft. The outstanding heroism and selfless devotion to duty displayed by Flight Lieutenant Cooper reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

[Dora-9]

The wartime RAAF name for this strip was Hexam. Despite earlier mention of it being 3400 ft long, the drawing (which I'm unable to post) shows it as 5100 ft - still a mightily impressive effort in a Mirage!

[Clinton McKenzie]

If the dimensions of the strip on the Tomago Aluminium EIS document posted at *6 are ball-park accurate - yes, it was much longer than 3,400' long.

How much of it was tarmac at the time on the landing? Dunno.

[Dora-9]

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1500x1655/hexam_nsw_b42d71cd09d4aec14f204994d47a8b9bb806b3d8.jpg
I finally figured how to show this.

[By George]

Nice bloke Garry, worked with him at Ansett. He was not treated well by Ansett or the RAAF, a little underrated in my opinion. Could never understand why, although he did call a spade a shovel. I like people with that quality but some don’t.

[DirectAnywhere]

I’m no expert on Mirages or dead stick landings but I know the area well enough. Pretty comfortable to say that straight bit of grass just south of the highway, and north west of the pot line, is what’s left of the airstrip.

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/851x1490/img_5172_c2042bbc810d26f7cfb5cb5f0b74c78b6dd446af.jpeg

[Dora-9]

Directanywhere:

what’s left of the airstrip.

I'm more inclined to think that the northern stub of the runway is visible off to the centre RHS of your photo - the drawing shows a 14/32 alignment which doesn't align with your "straight bit of grass".

[Clinton McKenzie]

My guestimate:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/640x480/tomago_strip_png_88d0e20335f1f2cc53a4f1ec78d4904051f45bc4.jp g

[Dora-9]

Clinton gets the cigar, this is where I think (for what that's worth) it was too.


https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1000x601/hexam_fd3fec35bf6a7cd3464a9ba6d874f855c4b3bced.jpg

[KRviator]

Clinton gets the cigar, this is where I think (for what that's worth) it was too.That's not the old Hexham strip though - Hexham (Smithy's) was out near the old Hunter Balloon Loop coal loader, behind the Macca's there.. Click here. (https://www.google.com/maps/place/32%C2%B050'41.3%22S+151%C2%B041'10.4%22E/@-32.844808,151.683645,620m)

[Dora-9]

Working on the assumption that "disused" meant the former RAAF strip and given that the RAAF drawing has it in a loop, and to the east, of the Hunter River, then I'd have thought my location was correct. Open to contrary opinions though, what's the history of Smithy's strip?

[KRviator]

Working on the assumption that "disused" meant the former RAAF strip and given that the RAAF drawing has it in a loop, and to the east, of the Hunter River, then I'd have thought my location was correct. Open to contrary opinions though, what's the history of Smithy's strip?AAhh, I understand the confusion now - I hadn't noticed the old RAAF map had the Tomago strip also named Hexham. I saw that you'd put Hexam on your Google image and thought you meant Hexham = Tomago when they are two separate strips and a couple miles apart. You're spot on with you're location though, Tomago Aluminium reference the old runway (and Mirage landing) in one of their newsletters (https://www.tomago.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/13932-TOMAGO-News_Vol-2_2019_WEB_2.pdf) where they say it's now part of the smelter.The runway used by Flt Lt Cooper for his emergency landing is now part of the Tomago Aluminium site.

As for Smithy's - I can't recall any specific history about the strip, but when I worked coal trains out of Newcastle - 15 years ago now, mind you - I was told it was still in occasional use and Westpac used it for training, though I've no idea whether that's accurate or not. I'd always assumed it was built by the owner on the old rail bed of the old Richmond Vale Railway line - but a bit of digging today shows that the old branchline curved off at the location of the now-Aurizon depot adjacent Hexham Station. It was for sale while back, but being zoned E2 Environmental Conservation - as well as the surrounding land being nothing but a swamp, going underwater when you get any more than an inch of rain and good only for breeding mosquitoes meant it doesn't look to have sold.

[megan]

KR, the news letter was an interesting input, thank you, though see they have trouble with proof readers as well.The Mirage was Australia’s front line fighter aircraft until it was superseded by the French designed Dassault MirageOnce again, thank you all, amazed at the search skills evident, even secret maps, good lord. :ok:

[Clinton McKenzie]

More photos. The first couple show how rough the strip was. No external tanks other than supers, so the aircraft would have been 'relatively' light. (Those tanks and the sidewinder rails were removed for the tow, along with the canopy.)

I suspect the second photo is of the aircraft being towed from where the aircraft came to rest at the south-eastern end of the strip back towards the north-western end near the Pacific Highway. Either that, or there was some passable road from the south-eastern end through to Tomago Road.
...
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1205/a3_29_tomago_1_1317fbd93ebaf0b089de202c30383a8735c74d47.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1342/a3_29_tomago_2_d3c091a764b4a0c54d23fc800e9da8d4be7c7c3b.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1205/a3_29_tomago_3_7d8f97dae4b8a9f065f9f0120d1e29d4add7229b.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1504/a3_29_tomago_4_77c088b1ff9e363146457d1d21c0adfcacecd7a3.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1227/a3_29_tomago_5_1dc07eea1f327fdba45e3077b6a52ed8f86fc17e.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1418/a3_29_tomago_6_b431500a0a7c65c8401a7760e665e4c9ca6a0866.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1258/a3_29_tomago_7_0018ab58fa3ccd264a2e42464cd47d24a8d0df62.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1379/a3_29_tomago_8_e7c731682dd3cc30e2435eaec5ea476ba16b3359.jpg

[LAME2]

Good photos. Interesting having the Dodge truck behind with rope attachment to the MLG.. I have seen bogged/rough ground tow equipment used before with thick heavy cables to the MLG running through a pulley at the tow motor. The NLG is then only offering steerage and no forces of the tow are applied to the NLG.

Perhaps they thought they might get into a spot of bother and have to reverse.

[Clinton McKenzie]

I doubt whether that would have been the reason for the truck remaining connected after the aircraft was on the road. I think the more likely explanation for it remaining connected once the aircraft was on the road was to mitigate the ongoing risk of the shear pin in the nosegear towbar connector breaking. If that shear pin breaks and the aircraft brakes don't work the aircraft will continue rolling wherever the surface slope and gravity take it. It didn't take much to shear that pin. (Most of us groundies usually had a few spares in our ear muffs. Don't tell anyone, but I've heard from a mate that he was told some people used to slide a standard Dassault screw driver in to replace the shear pin...)

The third photograph shows the aircraft in a spot of bother, where the level of the road is obviously much higher than the level of the tow point on the nose gear, such that the towmotor couldn't be directly connected. Would be interesting to find out how they got the aircraft over that 'lip'.

[megan]

Great series of photos Clinton, might I ask the source? :ok:

[Clinton McKenzie]

I have friends in low places ...

(The photos were posted by Peter Taylor on the Friends of the Mirage Facebook page, with an attribution of the overhead shot to ex-knuck Roger Lowery and the rest to RAAF Official records.)

[helispotter]

I had to check the internet:

"In Australia, front-seat seat belts became compulsory in 1969, and belts were required on all seats by 1971. It's also been compulsory to wear a seat belt since 1971."

I wonder what laws there are NOW about the need for seat belts when sitting on aircraft wings while towed on a public road?! 😜

[megan]

I wonder what laws there are NOW about the need for seat belts when sitting on aircraft wings while towed on a public roadYou'll want seat belts on motor bikes next. ;) Thanks for the reply Clinton. :ok:

[john_tullamarine]

I was a high school student out at Cessnock (not very far away) at the time. The photos in this thread are just absolutely wonderful recollections of some of my memories from the time .... even down to the motorbike copper uniforms (I was a bikie type at the time and had my share of being pulled over for discussions on this, that and the other ....)

[Clinton McKenzie]

It's interesting you say that, Mr T, as I was trying to work out the type of motorcycles in the photos. I'm guessing that in that era the police would have been riding Triumphs or BSA's from 'the mother country'? Equipped of course with the latest technology in front wheel drum brakes and a luxurious sidecar...

(My apologies for the thread drift. I'm hoping the mods will forgive me...)

[Pinky the pilot]

Triumphs or BSA's from 'the mother country'? Equipped of course with the latest technology in front wheel drum brakes and a luxurious sidecar...


I'd hazard a guess and say that the solo Motorcycle shown in one of the photos is definitely a Triumph. Possibly a T110 or T120.

[john_tullamarine]

You mean something like this

1965 TRIUMPH 6T THUNDERBIRD. NSW POLICE BIKE TRIM. | eBay (https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/335024518528)

I had a few Beezers. God, how I lusted after the T-birds. ... but, of course, then I discovered girls.

[Clinton McKenzie]

Agreed. Something like this one, which was an actual NSW Police bike of the era:
...
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1162x1333/img_1118_6c5f2855e199d1cfb1bf9bec91f1dfc988d2c5a5.jpeg

[Clinton McKenzie]

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/640x454/triumph_nsw_police_492e6ad11d28725bfdc0e4b4e135f9d3124b5c60. jpg

[megan]

Triumph Bonneville by any chance, looks like it? Remember bouncing down the road and scraping off skin when thrown off riding pillion on one, gravel on the corner apex, fortunately not with any great speed.

[helispotter]

You'll want seat belts on motor bikes next. ;) ...

Hope you didn't take me too seriously... but given the thread drift, have messed around with my dad's BSA both without seat belts or a helmet!

If a pilot managed to get an F35 down on a strip without an operating engine today, there is no way it would be returned to base on its own wheels. A crane and low loader would be brought in... or a Chinook. Sitting on the wing on the trip just wouldn't be permitted after a hazard assessment, no matter how slow the low loader may be moving.

Anyway, loved those photos shared by Clinton.

[john_tullamarine]

Triumph Bonneville by any chance, looks like it?

The Bonnie was a generic model term applied to several production runs of different specific models over the years. Did I mention that I lusted after them before I discovered those girl creatures ? All just an increasingly vague memory, now ..... must be 35-odd years since I've been sat on a grid.

[megan]

Hope you didn't take me too seriouslyhelispotter, I'd have hoped the "wink" at the end of the statement might have indicated the level of seriousness with which it was taken, just a bit of banter my friend.

JT, being circa 1964 would have been the original run T20.

[john_tullamarine]

would have been the original run T20.

Good sir, now you're really stretching the memory cells. If I recall anywhere near correctly, I vaguely remember the T20 as being the Tiger Cub 200cc single pot machine ? rather than the 650 Bonnie ? Perhaps you are thinking of the T120 ?

Then again, with advancing decrepitude, I could be thinking of a totally different bike.

[JamieMaree]

JT,
Can I take it as a given, that you won’t be reprimanding anyone for thread drift in the fiture?

[john_tullamarine]

I have never had a problem with a bit of thread drift as it invariably dies down after a few posts. Different matter if it goes massively off the rails or is not of a nice sort of nature ...

[Pinky the pilot]

Continuing the Thread drift::D The Police motorcycle shown is indeed a Triumph Thunderbird which was, IIRC, a 650cc engine with a single carburettor.

A slightly later version had a twin carby engine which was the T120 and later (?) called the Bonneville.

A few too many years have passed since!:}

I nearly bought the 750cc version of the Bonneville back around '73, but opted for a TX650 Yamaha instead!

Clinton; Love those photos!:ok: Btw, what eventually happened to Flt Lt Cooper?

[megan]

Perhaps you are thinking of the T120Thanks for the correction JT, need new glasses to see the "1" hiding there. Never personally into bikes, damn dangerous things, I get the attraction though, good memories of riding in an Uncles Indian sidecar around the Toowoomba hills when in short pants.

[Cloudee]

Btw, what eventually happened to Flt Lt Cooper?

Quite a bit on Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Gordon_Cooper

[KRviator]

I just love the fact it shows even back in the 60's, ol' mate towing his "RV" couldn't give two hoots about the traffic banked up behind him and is just cruising along oblivious to the traffic jam he's causing... Nothing much has changed there in 60 years! :}

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/2000x1415/a3_29_tomago_6_b431500a0a7c65c8401a7760e665e4c9ca6a0866_cceb f3aa9839478eb9cfcda1269c580c6a43a280.jpg

[Chronic Snoozer]

And in the middle of the road. It really was just a lawn dart, the old Mirage, wasn’t it!

[By George]

In today's world plenty of wrongdoings;
1. No Hi-Vis vests.
2. No seatbelts.
3. No rotating beacon on moving aircraft.
4. Support vehicle on wrong side of the road.
5. Unregistered towing vehicle failing to keep to the left..
6. All workers white Caucasian males, sexist and racist.
7. Man with child on shoulders endangering a minor.
8. no ID cards
9. No security.
10. Exceeding passenger loading on tug.
I just don't know how we survived in the past.

[TruBlu351]

Just following up on the Tomago Airstrip chat location above....you have pointed it out correctly, noting there's only a few hundred feet still showing today. Today it's easy to think it's the long cleared area where the high tension power lines are, but as pointed out, it's just to the north. I've got some map images from the 1940s up to today, showing the evolution of the area when the aluminium smelter rolled in. The main indicator today when driving by, is the kink in the Pacific Hwy, where Old Punt Rd comes off to the East. This t-junction used to be close to the far north western threshold of the airstrip.
I'll attach two topographic images from 1966 and 1986 with an outline of the airstrip, which you can see on modern maps. I've also attached a news article from 1966....can't remember which paper this was in, but you can see the airstrip goes all the way back to the highway.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1558x901/tomago_airstrip_1966_mirage_landing_977508d85c5a98ebef5b6207 ca0924d8aee2adab.jpg
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1180x817/tomago_airstrip_1984_583e27ba41affb1364133ab0884d42f32d079b2 7.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1016x585/tomago_airstrip_1966_mirage_landing_news_article_36dae8b2c17 c8065e2c4bb634d1e836b9194b682.jpg

[Lead Balloon]

A newspaper report containing facts. I remember those.

[pithblot]

Quite a bit on Wikipedia
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garry_Gordon_Cooper

“Quite a bit”, Cloudee, is the under statement of the year. Thank you for posting this link.

What a testimony of outstanding service, heroism and extraordinary breadth of flying experience!
Respect.

[megan]

Be interesting to hear the details behind this piece of aviatingIn 1980 Cooper received a letter of commendation from King Hussein of Jordan for landing a Boeing 707 on one engine after losing three engines on takeoff from Dhahran, saving 116 passengers and crew

[Bug]

More on Garry Cooper - USAF superiors in Vietnam wanted him to be awarded the Congressional Medal Of Honor.
This is a record of Garry's service from them in support of their campaign to get him awarded the MOH.

The Air Commando Association - Flt Lt Garry Cooper (http://www.specialoperations.net/GCCongMOH1.htm)

[megan]

Congressional Medal Of HonorIt's a shame to see your link has US military personnel identifying it as the "Congressional Medal Of Honor", they should know better, its correct term is "Medal Of Honor", nothing Congressional about it, It is presented by the President of the United States, in the name of Congress, which seems to be the source of confusion. You will see no mention of "Congressional" in official US military documentation.

The secretary of the Army, on behalf of the Department of Defense, has testified to Congress that the term "Congressional Medal of Honor" is "incorrect" as a matter of statute, and that "it seems inappropriate to modify the name of the medal with the word 'Congressional' as each award is made in the name of the Congress, through a mandated process in the military chain of command, not 'by' Congress, and there is no other Medal of Honor, so no need for the modifier.

[Bug]

Thanks for the correction. I was not aware of that.
I would hope that's not the most important thing people take away from the link.
An interesting man, with an amazing skill set.

[Clinton McKenzie]

The US President did (eventually) award him the DFC (x2) 'directly'.

[TruBlu351]

It's a shame to see your link has US military personnel identifying it as the "Congressional Medal Of Honor", they should know better, its correct term is "Medal Of Honor", nothing Congressional about it, It is presented by the President of the United States, in the name of Congress, which seems to be the source of confusion. You will see no mention of "Congressional" in official US military documentation.

The secretary of the Army, on behalf of the Department of Defense, has testified to Congress that the term "Congressional Medal of Honor" is "incorrect" as a matter of statute, and that "it seems inappropriate to modify the name of the medal with the word 'Congressional' as each award is made in the name of the Congress, through a mandated process in the military chain of command, not 'by' Congress, and there is no other Medal of Honor, so no need for the modifier.

I just dug up the earliest official reference to the Medal of Honor, as signed off by President Abraham Lincoln on 21 Dec 1861. References the award as "Medals of Honor", given they initially approved 200 to be created on their inaugural rollout. Army had theirs signed off a few months later on 12 Jul 1862. Somewhere along the line, decades ago, the colloquial 'Congressional' MOH seems to have morphed into some kind of unofficial formality....but finally appears to have been beaten out of their vernacular :)

I've got some details on that Royal Jordanian incident, but I'll just brush up on those and post a synopsis.
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1010x628/37th_congress_21_dec_1861_navy_medal_of_honor_308c0031bba568 664622e0d96e6334abcca110fa.jpg

[TruBlu351]

Be interesting to hear the details behind this piece of aviating

Hi megan, I've provided a synopsis of this event you were inquiring about in the thread linked below....in the 'Accidents and Close Calls' section. The details were too large to include in this Tomago thread.

Boeing 707 - 3 Engines Lost - 116 Passengers Saved - PPRuNe Forums (https://www.pprune.org/accidents-close-calls/657290-boeing-707-3-engines-lost-116-passengers-saved.html#post11587080)