Avalon Airshow 2009(56K? Don't make me laugh)
Posted: 2009-04-04 05:39am
I'd wanted to go to this for years, and so finally I arranged to meet my dad in Melbourne for the Friday afternoon/evening extravaganza, which included a simulated bombing run but a two-ship of RAAF Hornets. The cloud was down to about 900 feet AGL, so we couldn't see the birds, only hear them roar over as the targets lit up with a boom. Somehow, I felt that was more realistic. Anyway, what we saw during the day included but was not limited to:
Old school replicas. I apologize for not remembering what this was, though no doubt someone will know.
Likewise, I can't recall what this was. My knowledge of aviation is in well grounded from the late 1930's onward...
I didn't get any good shots of this Yak-9's aerial display, but it was sweet. This particular one had been bought by an American enthusiast and fitted with an Allison engine. I don't know if the OotRB and the kill silos are genuine, as the announcer claimed during its performance.
...on to the modern fighters. I can hear some people booing and hissing already, but the fact is that we're getting them. Let's hope they do the job.
They didn't fly this, which I was mildly disappointed about.
They flew this though, a little too high and fast for me to capture!
RAAF Hornets outbound
They pulled all the usual stunts you'd expect with a four ship, but this was the only one that translated onto a still image.
Best thing about airshows: if you want to stand within fifty feet of a jet fighter as it lands, you can.
The last time we'll see the 'Pig' at Avalon while it is still in service(Super Hornets on order as an interim replacement)
Turn and burn, baby!
This was cool. It was actually a mothballed USAF C-121 that a group bought, flew back to Australia from the Boneyard in Arizona and restored in Qantas livery. It was gorgeous on the inside, though they had fitted it with a 2 x 2 seating arrangement for comfort, since this thing isn't trying to turn a profit. While waiting for the night bomb run, they put this thing out on the runway and did three aborted takeoffs with the mixture settings very rich. The sight and smell of this thing spouting flames as it roared past are giving me a cold shiver several weeks on.
*sigh* romantic notions...
He wishes he was a celebrity.
Galaxys are friggin' huge.
Friggin huge.
Globemasters are less huge, but we've bought four of them, and they're all busy, so the USAF generously flew one in to perform cunning stunts.
Someone forgot to tell the RNZAF that you can't fly 757s like fighters, because they were doing steep climbs, 60+ degree banks, and low altitude 300+ knot passes.
Something deadly this way comes...
Not so scary all the way up there, which is misleading.
The good old Caribou. RAAF workhorse for forty years, the fleet will be replaced by the C-17s.
Every transport plane bar the Kiwi 757 showed off their short field landing ability by coming to a stop and then rolling backwards down the runway. Smart arses.
Herc on the left, RAAF's new Boeing Wedgetail AWAC toy on the right.
A shout out to our good friend Wicked Pilot! Wrong tags, right tone!
More smart arse cargo jocks.
More pictures may be available...
Old school replicas. I apologize for not remembering what this was, though no doubt someone will know.
Likewise, I can't recall what this was. My knowledge of aviation is in well grounded from the late 1930's onward...
I didn't get any good shots of this Yak-9's aerial display, but it was sweet. This particular one had been bought by an American enthusiast and fitted with an Allison engine. I don't know if the OotRB and the kill silos are genuine, as the announcer claimed during its performance.
...on to the modern fighters. I can hear some people booing and hissing already, but the fact is that we're getting them. Let's hope they do the job.
They didn't fly this, which I was mildly disappointed about.
They flew this though, a little too high and fast for me to capture!
RAAF Hornets outbound
They pulled all the usual stunts you'd expect with a four ship, but this was the only one that translated onto a still image.
Best thing about airshows: if you want to stand within fifty feet of a jet fighter as it lands, you can.
The last time we'll see the 'Pig' at Avalon while it is still in service(Super Hornets on order as an interim replacement)
Turn and burn, baby!
This was cool. It was actually a mothballed USAF C-121 that a group bought, flew back to Australia from the Boneyard in Arizona and restored in Qantas livery. It was gorgeous on the inside, though they had fitted it with a 2 x 2 seating arrangement for comfort, since this thing isn't trying to turn a profit. While waiting for the night bomb run, they put this thing out on the runway and did three aborted takeoffs with the mixture settings very rich. The sight and smell of this thing spouting flames as it roared past are giving me a cold shiver several weeks on.
*sigh* romantic notions...
He wishes he was a celebrity.
Galaxys are friggin' huge.
Friggin huge.
Globemasters are less huge, but we've bought four of them, and they're all busy, so the USAF generously flew one in to perform cunning stunts.
Someone forgot to tell the RNZAF that you can't fly 757s like fighters, because they were doing steep climbs, 60+ degree banks, and low altitude 300+ knot passes.
Something deadly this way comes...
Not so scary all the way up there, which is misleading.
The good old Caribou. RAAF workhorse for forty years, the fleet will be replaced by the C-17s.
Every transport plane bar the Kiwi 757 showed off their short field landing ability by coming to a stop and then rolling backwards down the runway. Smart arses.
Herc on the left, RAAF's new Boeing Wedgetail AWAC toy on the right.
A shout out to our good friend Wicked Pilot! Wrong tags, right tone!
More smart arse cargo jocks.
More pictures may be available...
