FA18's over Melbourne right now!
 

They're ready in anticipation of someone gate-crashing the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony... watch it guys, read your NOTAMS or you might get a rather unpleasant suprise out your starboard window followed by one hell of a hot a*rse!

F18's = Comm games opening
 

5pm until MN no entry except for returning RPT into MB or approved media and military flights within 40nm MEL.
The RAAF are controlling the airspace and don't expect them to play neighbourly if you're not authorised :hmm:

and they're still going, around and around and around and around and have been for more than 4 hours.

Let's hope that young 19 yr old raaf pilotdoesn't have an itchy trigger finger by now!

They appear to be doing about a 5 minute orbit, repetitively.

They did the same thing when George Dubya visited Canberra last year. The sound of freedom. Enjoy it while it lasts down there. Not to many fast jets would make there way that far south to often.

19yr old pilot? Flying a hornet? Sorry mate but highly unlikely. Don't quote me on this but it takes a good 5-6 years to get to Hornets, which would mean he would have had to have joined at 13 or 14. I don't think so Tim.

Combat air patrol
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This article is about a military term. For the investment bank, see Barclays Capital.
Combat air patrol (CAP) is a type of defensive mission for fighter aircraft, in which they guard a designated site, either a fixed site on land, ships at sea, or less commonly support aircraft such as aerial tankers.

It typically entails fighters flying some sort of pattern around the defended object, while looking for incoming attackers. Effective CAP patterns may include aircraft positioned at both high and low altitudes, so as to shorten response times when the attack is detected.

CAP is especially characteristic of aircraft carrier operations, where the CAP is flown to protect the carrier battle group. There are also BARCAP and TARCAP missions:

A BARrier Combat Air Patrol (BARCAP) is flown between the battle group and the direction from which it is most likely that enemy attack will come.
A TARget Combat Air Patrol (TARCAP) is flown over or near a strike target in order to protect specialised attack aircraft such as the AC-130 from harassment by enemy fighters.
A High Asset Value Combat Air Patrol (HAVCAP) is flown to protect a high-value asset (such as a tanker or an AWACS) during a specific "time on station".
The real-life activity inspired the computer game Combat Air Patrol, a flight simulator published by Psygnosis in 1995.

Did the budget stretch to a couple-o-Sidewinders at all?:} :ouch:

I'd say a Steyr or a Minimi would be just as effective, considering the main threat would a be a bugsmasher going where it shouldn't be. A few little holes in the windscreen would send the message! :E :E :E

Oh...I only mentioned it because someone on the idiot box mentioned how the F18's were on full alert patrolling the skies over MEL & the footage showed a pretty clean set of wings...apart from drop tanks.:rolleyes:

I'm pretty sure they would have been gunned up tonight. They definately have been previsouly when doing this sort of thing eg George Dubya in Canberra, CHOGM a few years back. They did some training flights over Melbourne the last few days and they weren't armed then. Check out the photos here (http://www.defence.gov.au/opacolyte/...314/index.htm). Some great shots there too over the greatest city in the world. ;)

I don't know what the rolling eyes are for Buster. Do you honestly think they would put CAP up and have nothing on board to actually take any action?

The loadout for George W was 2 x AIM-120 AMRAAM, 2 x AIM-9M Sidewinders, and a full gunpack. I'd imagine they're carrying a similar load over ML, with ASRAAM onboard instead of the Sidewinders

Short answer? Yes.

Honestly, it wouldn't surprise much if some Einstein in Russell did a 'risk assessment' and decided that carrying something which might inadvertently detach over a populated area was just too much for them to bear so purely internal ords only.

Now I know what common sense might say, but these are Canberra types we're talking about, so tell me it COULDN'T have happened...

:rolleyes:
The rolling eyes on the previous post was for the reporter who implied they were fully armed. The one on this post is for you!:p :ouch:

No Dragger, theses are DEFENCE types you're talking about - some (most) people in Canberra live in the real world.
With regard to the CAPs when Dubya was in town there were rumours for weeks afterwards that some poor guy chugging along at 10000 ft was intercepted and advised a detour was a good idea - never heard if it was true or not.

I sail out of a yachtclub next to williamstown police station, home of search and rescue, water police and and....

Then there is naval cadet base on the other side of the park. Its filled with big black rigid inflatables and lots of guys in camouflage gear and and...

Then there is Fort Gellibrand which is full of SAS and where I almost dived for cover the other day while watching a Blackhawk coming in at 100 kts to the hover at forty feet, which is quite a sight if you are only 25 metres away, and and.....

Then there was a destroyer anchored of Brighton last night, no less, a place not normally known as an anchorage, with search radar rotating, then there were the dozens of other "government" boats out last night. It would be interesting to speculate whether the destroyer or an F18 would have got you if you tried to leave Moorabbin last night and headed for the MCG.

translation: I won't go into detail for obvious reasons, but you should assume that there is a real threat, the F18's and everything else that moves is armed and ready. No one is taking any chances.

Answer = not.

Any ideas which aerodrome the F18's are flying from?

At least defence is relying on a hard paint rather than transponder returns.

I thought I heard YPCK but I could easily be wrong.

OTS- 17 weeks
BFTS- 6 months
2FTS- 9 months
Other stuff- 1 month

I'm a bit fuzzy on the actual time frames beyond that but I think it's something along the lines of:

Hawk conversion and associated flying- 6 months.
2OCU- 6 months.

All in all, possible to be 21 going on 22 but lucky to be any younger than that. My hats off the our ADF drivers. Worth every penny. :ok:

I spotted 12 Hornets on the Ground plus a Herc or 2 at East Sale on Sunday. They have been swapping and changing over, based on fuel requirements. I heard that there are 2 on stand-by at Avalon, but I can't guarantee that.

Constantly in the air, on rotation. I was surprised to see so many there at once. Perhaps they need that many to keep the maintenance hours down to actually keep them flying constantly, not sure. With only 2 in the air at once with about a 10 minute flight from Sale to the MCG, I wonder why there is so many.

Good friend in RAAF is flying Hornets at a few days younger than 21... he's done very well and has his head screwed on right. Had commercial lic prior to entry with MECIR too.

But that being said though, for everyone like him there's hundreds that wanted to get in at that age; luck was partially involved with his success; that and pilot dropouts from the job to airlines etc.

Heard the same about an aircraft straying into the wrong areas during CHOGM. Will probably hear the same about Melbourne in a few weeks. Possibly crewroom tales. ;)

"Good friend in RAAF is flying Hornets at a few days younger than 21... he's done very well and has his head screwed on right. Had commercial lic prior to entry with MECIR too."

...neither of which are useful in the world of military aviation.

I assume that he's still on the conversion course and not checked out at a SQN? To have completed the CPL at minimum age (18) and then tick all the other boxes required for the OTS, BFTS, 2FTS, etc in under three years would suggest that not only is the kid an ace but the stars all lined up perfectly to ensure zero delays on any courses!

Seem to remember a story published around 1980 in the now defunct 'Australasian Post' magazine about a 19 year old who was an F111 Pilot. If memory serves correctly the poor bloke was killed on a night flying excercise a few years later. May he RIP.

Usual signature deleted. In this case irrelevant.

"I assume that he's still on the conversion course and not checked out at a SQN? To have completed the CPL at minimum age (18) and then tick all the other boxes required for the OTS, BFTS, 2FTS, etc in under three years would suggest that not only is the kid an ace but the stars all lined up perfectly to ensure zero delays on any courses!"

- Easy. I'll just ask him how he did it at his 21st party on Saturday and whether or not he's actually combat ready; possibly not, he would have said so otherwise I suspect.

I would suggest that East Sale would be the base.

Maybe the real heroes at Gellibrand aren’t the chicken-stranglers but the cut-lunch commandos who only have time for action on the weekends.

5 years to become a Hornet driver? *Cough* Bullsh!t!

I know guys who joined up at 18-18.5, got wings at 20 or so and were on the Hornet by 21-22. Big deal.

As for “Worth every penny…”:

I beg to differ. I got pretty good at F-15E Strike Eagle PC computer game and it had a flight-manual about as fat as my whatsit got whenever I played it.

It had functioning radar with all the modes (I can’t remember what they were called now) and all the missile-lock modes for swatting the bad guys. The strike eagle is a 2-seater but I did both jobs myself and it wasn’t that hard.

What a bunch of nerds, getting all juiced up over a Hornet flying endless boring laps around Melbourne and p!ssing into a empty choc-milk bottle.

FLTLT Fallon - I remember him being on the cover of RAAF News when he went onto the line. Indeed RIP.

Hornets flying circles over Melbourne! Hey I'm frightened, I bet those nasty terrorists are quaking in their shoes.

The greatest over kill of all time.

Nice wind up Lord Snot. If this thread is still running when the games are over I have something to share.

Found another joystick to play with I guess.:rolleyes:

Ahhhh....but were they upgraded to HUG Phase 2?

http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/jla0051l.jpg

Getting 'juiced up' Lord Snot? It is possible to admire the fiery hoops that people have to jump through in order to get where the ride they currently enjoy. Whilst the job at the moment may be as boring as all get out, I do have an inkling about what is required to get there and in that respect I still reckon that our air force pilots are worth every penny. I happen to know a few of them- both former and serving- and think they're under paid for what they put up with.

Sorry if that offends your sensibilities! :rolleyes: :* :yuk:

Sunfish, please please share what you have to tell us. Don't wait until after the games!

This is a "rumour" network after all.

Do you have a good idea on how in infultrate game security or something?

Nup, but you wouldn't believe the depths the security services have gone to for the games.

:* The word idiot immediately springs to mind when I read this cr@p, along with several others I shant repeat in this august forum.

So, what would you prefer? No security presence at all except the plods and then have something like Munich happen. :eek: Then we'd look pretty freakin stupid huh? Sure, it's highly unlikely, but why risk it if you don't have to? It's not like we've had to employ temp pilots, crews and army types and had to rent the aircraft, ships, RHIBs, guns and bullets for the fortnight - they're being paid anyway, so why not use them for the cost of a few thousand pounds of fuel and some hotel rooms for the brass.

Geesh! A million :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: to you 'king oath'.

Magoo

Well, I was out n about in Niddrie last night. Nowhere near any venues or games facilities being in the North/West suburbs but there were Police stationed on a bridge over the Calder Freeway. Two officers standing on the bridge...overkill to some here, but I'm very happy that it appears that no stone is being left unturned. Remember, 6 years ago you wouldn't have considered commercial aircraft as a weapon!

Credit where credit is due.

Some Answers:

They are flying out of Sale

They are armed, the above mentioned load out is not far from the truth

19 years old is a bit ambitious but 20-21 is not out of the question.
It takes 3 years to become a Hornet driver not 5-6 as quoted.

The strict rules of engagement and the ultra-professional nature of the boys up there means that NO we do not have "trigger happy 19 year olds up there". Think yourselves lucky that we have these guys that slave for 12-14 hours a day for bugger all cash in order to keep our skies safe.