ADF Airshow 2010 - Williamtown [Archive] - Sydney Airport Message Board

Greg McDonald

8th July 2010, 02:16 PM

From the website:

Expect to see:

•Air Force F-111s, F/A-18A/B Hornets, AP-3C Orions, C-130 Hercules, the big C-17 Globemaster, Hawk 127, the new F/A-18F Super Hornet, B737 Wedgetail and the spectacular Roulettes aerobatic formation display team;
•Navy Seahawk and Sea King helicopters, plus the famous Dancing Squirrels aerobatic helicopters and the new A109e Augusta;
•Historic warbirds including the Neptune and World War II Mustang, Spitfire, Meteor and Catalina;
•Civilian sports aircraft, including an appearance by the celebrated Red Bull Air Racer Matt Hall;
•Hands-on static displays, entertainment, bands and lots more.

Tickets
Where
From 1 Aug 10, tickets will be available from PROticket, on 1300 12 10 12 or from any ProTicket agency.

How much
Pre-purchased tickets: Adults $20; Children (5-15) $5; Family $46
At the gate on the day: Adults $25; Children (5-15) $5

(Family concessions will only be available through pre-purchased tickets and will not be available at the gate on the day).

Jaryd stock

8th July 2010, 05:37 PM

Being that this airshow will be one of the last times we get to see the F-111, will there be any international visitors that will come along for this Special occasion? I checked the Thunderbirds website they are at Whiteman AFB performing on those dates so that is a pain in the A--.But anyone with some info what will come from abroad....

Tim Bowrey

8th July 2010, 06:54 PM

Apparently everyone will be sitting on the RAAF side which will be better than Avalon for photos and there will be some USAF visitors. There wont be a huge selection of aircraft due to the limited room. Also, the Wedgetail's will be closed as ID is required even for the RAAF to go onboard apparently. They're expecting 30,000 or so people :S Main training day is on the Friday and because there is limited flights on weekends all passengers are required to show their itinerary to access the terminal as theyre blocking roads I hear.

Craig Murray

8th July 2010, 07:39 PM

the spectacular Roulettes aerobatic formation display team

I'm sorry, lines like this crack me up! :D

The Roulettes were last spectacular when they had Macchi's. Until the drone of PT-6's is replaced with jet noise the Roulettes will be mediocre at best. The skills of the pilots is phenomenal, the planes are enough to bore even the most excited kid after having watched F-111's and Hornets do their thing.

Send a secondment out to one of the Hawk Squdrons for 7 jets, grab some flashy paint and make the ADF's premier aerial display team exciting again.

As for Williamtown, see you there!

Steve Jones

8th July 2010, 07:48 PM

I heard a (very unconfirmed) rumour about an F-22 out of Guam?

Mike Y

8th July 2010, 09:50 PM

I heard a (very unconfirmed) rumour about an F-22 out of Guam?

The Asia-Pacific region is crawling with those right now, so distance is not that much a factor for the USAF not to!

Mike_S

8th July 2010, 11:52 PM

The Asia-Pacific region is crawling with those right now
True, although i'm not holding my breath. The same situation existed at the time of last years Avalon, with F-22s on deployment in the region, and nothing came of it. Apparently politics had a bit to do with it, or so i was told ;)

I guess we can only hope...

Jaryd stock

9th July 2010, 04:34 PM

I agree with you Craig its a bit embarsing when say the Thunderbirds or the Red Arrows come out here put on a show then you here the person over the PA say,and coming up next the Roullettes. yeah great.. hey can't we keep 9 of the F-111's,paint them red and white and get them to perform,that would be unreal.It would be a great bomb burst performed at the end of display with all of them doing there dump n burns..RAAF think about it.As for the Raptor i'll believe it when i see it,how many times have we been told that a B-2 is coming,or this and that will be here best to expect nothing.Why don't Malaysia or Singapore send a couple of things,im getting bored of seeing 15's and 16's being brought down by 135's from japan..

Mick F

9th July 2010, 05:28 PM

Interesting that they're charging for it. Townsville's airshow was free last year.

However, as far as airshows go, the RAAF Airshow's sh*t all over Avalon.

With regard to the Roulette's. I am lucky enough to have worked (and be trained) by former members of the Roulette's. I voiced my opinion on how after the Townsville Airshow last year, the Roulette's were seen as boring as batsh*t compared to the Thunderbirds, and asked why we couldn't have a similar display team.

The main problem is that the RAAF doesn't put enough funding or time into the Roulette's. All the members must train in their own time and often do the displays in their own time. The RAAF also gives them a very small budget for everything bar the flying. So you definitely won't see the Roulette's staying in 5 star hotels etc., when they're away for displays.

Compare that to say the Thunderbirds, they have a huge budget to work with, and they're an entirely seperate squadron where they're only focus is on doing these displays.

Until such time as the RAAF puts in more money, and they aren't cramming the guys up with other work, then we won't have a spectacular team like other Air Forces do.

Mick

Grant Smith

9th July 2010, 05:35 PM

If you're tired of seeing F-15's and F-16's, bringing the RSAF down won't do much to abate that boredom...

Jaryd stock

9th July 2010, 06:16 PM

I would be excited at first Grant, because they would have different markings on them then take a couple of photos then get tired of seeing them. Least the 16's would be block 52+ and have couple of different bumps and things on them,Im just saying that we have all seen the same aircraft time and time again it would be great if we got to see some Sukoi's or F-5's, Grippens or something that are around close in this region,there closer to us than things based in Japan...Every time a show is in southeast Asia there's always photos of pigs there doing there thing,why can't those country's send something to our shows for once...

Ray P.

10th July 2010, 12:15 AM

... All the members must train in their own time and often do the displays in their own time. ...

They get time in leiu for their weekend displays/deployments and as for training in their own time, I'm not sure what that even means. They may practice over an occasional lunch period, but that doesn't mean that they miss out on lunch.

As for funding, they are funded based on the number of displays that they will perform for the year. They are accommodated in the same manner and level as everyone else in the ADF. That means staying on Defence Establishments or in Hotel accommodation depending on the circumstance. If you want a Thunderbirds type display team, then expect the taxpayer to cough up mega (or perhaps obscene amounts of ) funds to do so. I think we need to realise that we are not a big league Air Force like the USAF or RAF, and as such we shouldn't expect a big league Aerobatic Display Team. I think they do a fantastic job.

Robert Zweck

10th July 2010, 10:35 AM

Interesting that they're charging for it. Townsville's airshow was free last year.

At the last Edinburgh Airshow about 4 years ago, admission was about $10

Mick.B

10th July 2010, 11:19 AM

I would pay $50.00 bucks for a defence airshow. They are great.

Mike Y

10th July 2010, 02:45 PM

I would pay $50.00 bucks for a defence airshow. They are great.

Don't give them ideas Mick :D

Grant Smith

10th July 2010, 05:51 PM

Floody is right, I mean afterall it is an ADF airshow so in effect we as taxpayers are already paying for it...

:cool:

KrishnaM

22nd July 2010, 08:56 PM

Question for any one going or been to one of these.. Are you allowed to take pets.. I want to go do a overnight but not sure if I can take the dog...

Tim B

23rd July 2010, 05:51 AM

I'm sorry, lines like this crack me up! :D

The Roulettes were last spectacular when they had Macchi's. Until the drone of PT-6's is replaced with jet noise the Roulettes will be mediocre at best. The skills of the pilots is phenomenal, the planes are enough to bore even the most excited kid after having watched F-111's and Hornets do their thing.

Send a secondment out to one of the Hawk Squdrons for 7 jets, grab some flashy paint and make the ADF's premier aerial display team exciting again.

As for Williamtown, see you there!

Now if the Roulettes performed using Caribou's, that would be fun to watch.:)

Then again.....

Greg McDonald

23rd July 2010, 08:53 AM

Question for any one going or been to one of these.. Are you allowed to take pets.. I want to go do a overnight but not sure if I can take the dog...

You don't need to....they have food stalls everywhere on the day.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

KrishnaM

23rd July 2010, 09:48 AM

haha i dont wanna eat my dog...

Stephen Brown

23rd July 2010, 10:57 AM

Question for any one going or been to one of these.. Are you allowed to take pets.. I want to go do a overnight but not sure if I can take the dog...

Loud Noisy Aircraft and lots of strange people........Sure to be a good mix for an animal of any kind.

I think common sense needs to be applied here.

Daniel F

23rd July 2010, 11:08 AM

FYI, tickets are now on sale. Bought my tickets the other night.

Dan Hammond

23rd July 2010, 01:56 PM

Got my tickets as well. Looking forward to what should be a great weekend

Jeff T

3rd August 2010, 09:54 PM

Hi all,

Williamtown's website seems to have been down for a few days now, does anyone know the website or have a phone number where you order the tickets?.....or do you have to go through the Williamtown site?

Thanks,
Jeff.

Dan Hammond

3rd August 2010, 10:09 PM

Hi Jeff,

You can order tickets at http://www.proticket.com.au/event.asp?eventid=669

Mike_S

4th August 2010, 10:45 AM

Williamtown's website seems to have been down for a few days now...
The airforce.gov.au site is still working. It's the raaf.gov.au site which seems to be down?

Try this one: http://www.airforce.gov.au/AirShows/

Jeff T

4th August 2010, 05:03 PM

Thanks a lot Dan and Mike!

Cheers,
Jeff.

Matt R

4th August 2010, 05:41 PM

Are you allowed to take pets

No. http://www.airforce.gov.au/AirShows/

Other than registered ‘Guide Dogs’, no animals may be brought into the event.

Edit: I've just noticed it says "No radio transmitters/devices will be allowed into the event.". So no scanners? :(

Dan Hammond

4th August 2010, 09:53 PM

So no scanners? :(

Thats basically what i understood from reading the website.

Mario Facchini

4th August 2010, 10:25 PM

Edit: I've just noticed it says "No radio transmitters/devices will be allowed into the event.". So no scanners? :(

Bugger !!!! i'll still end up going anyways.

Warick M

12th August 2010, 07:26 PM

Any suggestions as to which will be the best day to go? Any advice appreciated.

Joseph Saragozza.

24th August 2010, 02:04 PM

im flying up for the day on the sunday, whats the best way to get to the entrance of the show from the terminal?

Tony P

30th August 2010, 08:45 AM

Read the website. All will be revealed! burhhahahahahahahaha.
http://www.airforce.gov.au/airshows/

andrew evans

3rd September 2010, 01:15 PM

I wish they would update the Airshow web site.Any news on what will be coming from outside Australia yet.

Mike_S

3rd September 2010, 08:20 PM

Any news on what will be coming from outside Australia yet.
I'm not expecting much. I believe there is an airshow at Misawa AB Japan on the SAME weekend

So as far as US assets go, i dare say they'll get priority including the resident Viper demo team

Mike Y

3rd September 2010, 09:00 PM

Not a lot showing up at Misawa either. But looks like the PACAF Viper demo team's definitely out of Williamtown.

All I know is not to get your hopes up for foreign AF participation, so far I've only got one aircraft from the organisers. And its nothing we haven't seen before.

VMFA-224 should be at Tindal for Ex Southern Frontier during that time as well, so we can hope they'll send a Bug or two our way for the weekend. They've got a couple of nice flagships/special schemes.

Lee G

4th September 2010, 02:39 PM

I take it then that mobile phones are also off limits .... They are after all radio transmitters.....:)

Matt R

5th September 2010, 03:13 PM

Yeah, that thought crossed my mind too.. Wonder why they mention on the website how bad the Vodafone coverage is :)

Danny Rizk

13th September 2010, 05:55 PM

Cant wait!
I'll be there for the weekend...

patrick woodward

13th September 2010, 07:28 PM

Good eve,

So are scanners a no go for the Williamtown airshow? The quote is •"No radio transmitters/devices will be allowed into the event"... devices being scanners? If anyone can confirm this that would be great..

Cheers

Sean W

14th September 2010, 03:23 PM

Looks Like it's going to be a good airshow if the Program from the show website is anything to go by:
Program

All static aircraft, hangar and outdoor displays will operate from when the gates open at 8am. Concert bands, military working dogs, fire-fighting, model aircraft, ADF Federation Guard and other active displays will be staged throughout the day.

Flying Displays

1145 – 1300
L39 Albatros and Tiger Moths Displays
Matt Hall - Giles Display
F111 Dump and Burn
Navy Seahawk, Catalina, Mustang Displays
Hudson, Super Hornet, Meteor, F-111, Mustang Formation

1300 – 1345
Meteor and Hudson Winjeel Displays
F111 Formation Display
Navy 'Dancing Squirrels' helicopter Display

1345 – 1600
F111 Solo Display
Porsche 911 Turbo versus Hawk Challenge#1
Roulettes Formation Display
F111 Dump and Burn Departure
F/A-18F Super Hornet Display
Porsche 911 Turbo versus Hawk Challenge#2
AP3C Orion Display
BaE Hawk display
F/A-18A Hornet Formation Display
Fighter Formation Display
C130J Display
Spitfire and Avon Sabre Displays
F/A-18A Hornet Solo Display

Ground Events and Dispays

Radio Controlled Model Aircraft Displays
0810 – 0845
0930 – 1030

Royal Australian Army Corps of Transport Pipes and Drums
0830 – 0900
1000 – 1030
1610 – 1630

Explosives Ordnance Demolition Demonstrations
0840 – 0850
1000 – 1010
1120 – 1130
1620 – 1630

RAAF Police Dog Demonstrations
0900 – 0930
1015 – 1045
1600 – 1620

RAAF Ceremonial Band Performances
0930 – 1000
1145 – 1215
1600 – 1630

Federation Guard Precision Drill Team Displays
0950 – 1000
1050 – 1100
1610 – 1620

All Day
Corporate Precinct Area Trade and Commercial Displays
Historic Military Vehicle Display
Helicopter Joy Flights
Children's Rides and Amusements

http://www.airforce.gov.au/airshows/

Mike_S

14th September 2010, 03:32 PM

You just beat me to it Sean

Does look like a pretty good program with some nice formations planned, especially the 3 x F-111

Mind you, i think there's a bit of duplication in that list, not that i will mind if the F-111 goes up 8 times! :D

Mike_S

14th September 2010, 05:52 PM

Program has just been updated and now makes a bit more sense

http://www.airforce.gov.au/airshows/
FLYING DISPLAYS

1145 – 1300
L39 Albatros and Tiger Moths Displays
Matt Hall - Giles Display
F111 Dump and Burn
Navy Seahawk, Catalina, Mustang Displays
Hudson, Super Hornet, Meteor, F-111, Mustang Formation

1300 – 1345
Meteor and Hudson Winjeel Displays
F111 Formation Display
Navy 'Dancing Squirrels' helicopter Display

1345 – 1600
F111 Solo Display
Porsche 911 Turbo versus Hawk Challenge#1
Roulettes Formation Display
F111 Dump and Burn Departure
F/A-18F Super Hornet Display
Porsche 911 Turbo versus Hawk Challenge#2
AP3C Orion Display
BaE Hawk display
F/A-18A Hornet Formation Display
Fighter Formation Display
C130J Display
Spitfire and Avon Sabre Displays
F/A-18A Hornet Solo Display

Tim Bowrey

16th September 2010, 10:04 AM

Connie is on her way to Williamtown this afternoon apparently.

patrick woodward

16th September 2010, 02:48 PM

Yes i think it departed Wollongong yesterday for somewhere in QLD... Must be heading to Willy from there today....

Tim Bowrey

16th September 2010, 03:17 PM

Arrived from MCY, Lockheed P-2 and a DC-3 have also arrived from Wollongong.

Stephen Brown

16th September 2010, 03:31 PM

Wheres the C-17 handling display?? I want another compressor stall!!!!!

http://www.jetphotos.net/viewphoto.php?id=5839195

Single handedly the biggest fluke in Aviation Photography....

David C

17th September 2010, 06:32 PM

I've just heard off a very reliable source that a KC135 landed at Willy this afternoon ..

Dave C

Mick.B

17th September 2010, 08:44 PM

Watched it land at 3.30pm. Most stuff practiced today.

Stephen Brown

17th September 2010, 09:23 PM

So whats the KC-135 supporting??

Matt R

18th September 2010, 06:03 PM

Nothing. It was on static display.

No US planes today, I assume tomorrow will be the same.

Bob C

18th September 2010, 07:11 PM

What was the show like Matt ?

Anything interesting to report in the way of colour schemes or new types on display ?

I would have loved to have been there but instead spent most of the day pulling weeds out of my garden in Perth.

David C

18th September 2010, 07:36 PM

The KC135R was the only overseas aircraft participant . It flew from its base Mc Connell AFB Kansas to Willy via Hickham AFB Hawaii . I only went to see the F111 , I wasn't disappointed there , some great dump and burn runs , however , I thought the display was pretty ordinary overall . I would have liked to have seen a Eurocopter Tiger , but no show there either .. The Super Hornets were very impressive though .. The rest was all very regular stuff , and nothing to get too excited about .

Dave C

Matt R

18th September 2010, 08:37 PM

The Super Hornets were very impressive though .. The rest was all very regular stuff , and nothing to get too excited about .

How they made the Rhino louder than three F-111s, I'll never know. But yeah, I'd seen it all before at Avalon and Albion Park.

Not as close to the runway as Avalon, and all the buildings in the background kinda ruin the photos.

I'm rather sunburnt, but I don't care. It was worth it.

Mike S

18th September 2010, 08:44 PM

I'm rather sunburnt, but I don't care. It was worth it.

OH SAME HERE!

My skin is so red. Its going to hurt alot trying to get to sleep tonight.
I had an OK day. I thought that the organisation of the event needs major improvement. No matter what or when, the lines for the food were at least an hour long. No shade. No drinks carts. The line to get on the shuttle bus to get back over to the other side of the runway was about 1.5 hours long. We wanted to leave early, but we were trapped, with no food/shade or means to leave. Nothing ran on time and the totally just gave up on getting the C-130 out flying.

We finally get to the car and spend the next 90 minutes parked trying to get out. The planes were great. Mostly everything else sucked :(

Might give it a miss next time. WOI is alot easier.

Graham F

18th September 2010, 09:09 PM

I think the site and sound of 3 F111's flying in formation was worth me driving 200km. In all previous air shows I had been to, only one F111 was the usual fare but three was something special, particularly when I doubt I will ever see them flying again.
The Super Hornets are noisier than the classic Hornet probably due to the larger engines? very impressive particularly the low pass over the crowd.
Yes the organisation was a bit of a disappointment, with inadequate food and drink outlets, but overall it was still a great day.

Scott L.

18th September 2010, 10:04 PM

Have to agree, the flying display was awesome. Static display - forget it, nothing open at all.
The day was great but beware...It took an hour to get from one side of the airfield to the other and then another hour to get out of the car park. It took 40 minutes to get food and it was tolerable to eat and expensive to boot.
The flying schedule was running late and some events were obviously cancelled but the F111 and F18 made up for it.
No shade as has been mentioned - and it was disappointing to not see more availability of refreshments as it was a hot and glaring day.

My advice would be to pack a family picnic and head to the car park ( as plenty of others did). There's nothing worthwhile on the air base side to rave on about.

What a waste of the yanks sending the tanker down for it to just sit there. Blue Angels or sime of that stealthy stuff would be nice.

Liz E

18th September 2010, 10:26 PM

The F111's and F18's were superb and I was also greatly impressed with the maneuverability of the AP3C Orion. Aside from that our experience of the day almost exactly mirrored that of Mike S. We were feeling pretty happy about bringing our own food and drinks after seeing long long lines at every food vendor from about 9:30 onwards. The 90 mins it took to get out of the carpark, whilst infuriating is an improvement on the two hours it took us 25 years ago :rolleyes: Would still recommend it to the average member of the public.

Ossian N

19th September 2010, 01:09 AM

I have to Agree the F111's and F18s were great, I also didn't mind the roulettes. It took you 90min to get out ??? i won't tell you how long it took me to get out then :D

Matt R

19th September 2010, 09:14 AM

We queued up for lunch just after 10am. We finished eating just in time for the flying to start.

The guy next to me went for coffee and came back 90 minutes later...

David C

19th September 2010, 09:15 AM

Further to my original post , here are a few shots taken yesterday ..

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3138.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3138.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3096.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3096.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3139.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3139.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3041.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3041.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3034.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3034.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3022.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3022.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3004.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3004.jpg)
http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/th_IMG_3153.jpg (http://s20.photobucket.com/albums/b245/Ozipilot/ADF%20Show%20Willy%202010/?action=view&current=IMG_3153.jpg)

Dave C

Warick M

19th September 2010, 04:13 PM

I really enjoyed the flying displays and having commercial flights taxi by so close was a thrill, if only we could get that close all the time everywhere!
I echo the comments in respect of food, seating and shade. I could not even find anywhere to get fresh water to refill my own bottle! I also have my own issues with the parking, great availability but to take 2 hours to exit the venue by car really put a damper on it. After a long hot day on my feet, sure 2 hours sitting in the car was ok, but to have a 2 hour drive after that 2 hour wait made it a long trip home!

Warick M

19th September 2010, 05:52 PM

Would you believe that someone actually asked me to sit down because I was blocking the view for their 7 year old daughter. They were some distance behind me and it confused me as the action was in the air! And keeping in mind I was also some distance from the crowded fence line. I pointed out that it was an "Air" show, so he should encourage his daughter to look up and the problem would be solved ;)

Damian N

19th September 2010, 06:00 PM

\ I thought that the organisation of the event needs major improvement. No matter what or when, the lines for the food were at least an hour long. No shade. No drinks carts. The line to get on the shuttle bus to get back over to the other side of the runway was about 1.5 hours long. We wanted to leave early, but we were trapped, with no food/shade or means to leave. Nothing ran on time and the totally just gave up on getting the C-130 out flying.

\.

Wow! I have only been to two major airshows - Amberley '08 and also in '03(?) and all I can say was they were superbly organised! Took train/bus in '03 but risked taking the car in '08. Parking was easy and close, little wait to get out, plenty of drinks/food and shade was there if you wanted it.

David C

19th September 2010, 06:45 PM

I think with the car parking it was a matter of luck .. We drove straight in . parked up and at the end of the show we were out in a matter of 5 minutes . As for the food outlets , I've been to enough airshows now to convince me to take my own food and drink , it's always a nightmare trying to queue and you miss so much of the thing you're there to see ... I'd love shares in those food outlets though , they must have made loads of money this weekend !! ..

Dave C

Greg McDonald

19th September 2010, 07:48 PM

KrishnaM

19th September 2010, 09:10 PM

Well you were lucky.. I was stuck with a 13 month old in the carpark for nearly 2 hours.. if it wasn't for some one saying they were told to go the other way I would have been stuck at least another hour..

As for food my sister in law took 2 hours to get 3 pluto pups.. so organisation wasnt the best..

and as others have said the airial display was amazing.. and here are a few of my shots...

Dave Powell

19th September 2010, 09:49 PM

Well - I don't know what the Sunday show was like but my comments for Saturday would be

Pretty good static display - good to see the Wedgetail up close.
Flying - very good overall - continuity not so good - too many long pauses - and then to learn that some displays were cancelled through lack of time (if that's true) - very ordinary

F111 - excellent dump & burns - 3 ship display very disappointing -could have been so much more than a couple of passes - imagine a 3 ship dump & burn to say farewell

Car park - an absolute **** up - we got out in about 20 mins due to some cross country travel - but half an hour after the show there was hardly any flow down the road through the swamp -and no-one in control of the traffic flow until everyone was on the road - too late to be of any use

Overall an enjoyable show - 7/10 score for me

Dave

Mike S

20th September 2010, 12:28 AM

I don't know what everyone's whinging about!! It was a great flying display with a lot of formations that won't ever be seen again. The static display was pretty standard but what did you expect? I went for food at about 1pm and was back at my spot by 1:30pm or so....not all that bad really (and a long way from 90 minutes!!). When the show was over, it was a 15 minute walk to the car then literally 5 minutes to get on the road and outta there! The food at the stands was expensive but, once again, what did you expect? As for being trapped at the show because you couldn't get across the field...what a load of rubbish!! They made a number of announcements that shuttle buses were running ALL DAY to get from one side of the field to the other!!

Did you goto the same airshow????? Hahaha

I thought that the static displays were great. You must of been VERY lucky to get food in 30 minutes. I did not see a single line that would of been that quick. What line were you in??!!??

As for being trapped. Well i DID hear that the shuttle buses were running, hence why i attempted to try and catch one. But at 3pm, the line for it had AT LEAST 1000 people in it, with strollers and foam planes and you name it. It would of been a time wasting exercise catching the bus.

So 4 rolled around, we waited about 20 min for the 2 VB and DJ flights to come in, and proceeded to sit in the carpark for 90 min. SO wanting to leave at 3 quickly turned to finally exiting the field at a bit after 6. And not getting home till a bit after 9.

Im not whinging as such, i had an OK day. Its just quite clear that they either have no idea how to run an event or they wont expecting that many people.

Dave Powell

20th September 2010, 08:05 AM

I know this is unlikely but did anyone manage to get the serials of any of the F111's in the flying display on Saturday?

Also - if anyone went yesterday, did the F111's perform - I recall the PA on Saturday saying something to the effect that "you won't see this tomorrow after the final solo dump & burn run?

MTIA

Dave

KrishnaM

20th September 2010, 08:26 AM

I managed to catch one AB-126 I think.. this one did the afternoon flyover and burns..

The morning one was Possible AB-125 as I can only see the 25 on the photo I took

But I cant read any serials off the Trio that came together...

Also any Idea where they came from as We never saw them take off..

Greg McDonald

20th September 2010, 09:01 AM

We must have got very lucky then! We even had to wait until most of the crowd on the base side had gone because we lost one of our group and waited for him! I managed to walk to the road, get in the car and drive away unhindered. We left the ground as the 2 RPT flights were coming in around 4:15ish and were back at Maitland just before 5pm!! Luckily I didn't have to come back to Sydney until Sunday so it turned out to be quite comfortable (except for the decent case of sunburn!!).

Dave Powell

20th September 2010, 09:13 AM

Thanks Krishna - those serials would be A8-125/126 not AB-

I'm guessing that the 111's came down directly from Amberley and returned there after the show. As you say they did not take off or land from Willy

Anyone get a decent shot of the 3 ship formation which gives up any serials?

thanks

Dave

I managed to catch one AB-126 I think.. this one did the afternoon flyover and burns..

The morning one was Possible AB-125 as I can only see the 25 on the photo I took

But I cant read any serials off the Trio that came together...

Also any Idea where they came from as We never saw them take off..

Matt R

20th September 2010, 10:34 AM

I know this is unlikely but did anyone manage to get the serials of any of the F111's in the flying display on Saturday?

Wings forward was 135, Middle was 126. Can't read the fully swept one.

Touch-n-go dump-n-burn was 126.

Dan Collins

20th September 2010, 11:23 AM

I went on the Saturday and had an excellent time myself! First airshow since the Richmond show in 2005 and I was quite impressed. The F-111 touch n' go dump & burn was fantastic, really happy to have captured that on video!

The queue's for food and drink were crazy! Some were saying it was taking over an hour to get served. I avoided them completely. Some have mentioned previously about the pauses in flying displays but I welcomed those as it allowed us to look through the static displays and stands without missing too much action.

It was my fiancee's first proper airshow and she loved it. Particularly the Hornet fly-bys that ripped your ears out. She was laughing so hard after the surprise/shock of the first Super Hornet one.

It was also great for me to be able to go aboard the C-17 and 'Connie'. You couldn't really get anywhere near the C-17 in 2005 and I've never seen Connie in the flesh before.

Had a great time as said, my only gripe was the queue to get out of the carpark, but traffic flowed pretty well once we were let out onto the road.

A screencap from the F-111 touch n' go, a site never to be forgotten! http://twitpic.com/2pzzy7

Cheers,

Dan

Matt R

20th September 2010, 11:47 AM

I went on the Saturday
A screencap from the F-111 touch n' go, a site never to be forgotten! http://twitpic.com/2pzzy7

Dan, you must have been right near me. I was standing behind the chairs in the middle of the north-south taxiway with a 5D2 and 100-400L.

http://www.shakesbeare.com/gallery/d/26730-2/IMG_3746.jpg (http://www.shakesbeare.com/gallery/v/transportation/planes/RAAF+Airshow+2010/IMG_3746.jpg.html)

Steve V

20th September 2010, 12:32 PM

Hi,
The fully swept lead aircraft in Saturday's formation was A8-125.
Steve

Dave Powell

20th September 2010, 12:46 PM

Thanks all for the F111 serials - I think we have the lot now by the looks of it.

Dan Collins

20th September 2010, 10:43 PM

Dan, you must have been right near me. I was standing behind the chairs in the middle of the north-south taxiway with a 5D2 and 100-400L.

http://www.shakesbeare.com/gallery/d/26730-2/IMG_3746.jpg (http://www.shakesbeare.com/gallery/v/transportation/planes/RAAF+Airshow+2010/IMG_3746.jpg.html)

Hey Matt,

To be honest I can't remember exactly where I was standing but our shots look almost identical! That's a screencap from my Sony HD video camera probably at full zoom there. Was an awesome sight, so glad to have caught it on film!

A few more pics I've put up on Twitpic...

Wedgetail (Connie in the background) http://twitpic.com/2q9k3p
C-17 Dwarfing everyone http://twitpic.com/2q9l5n

Dan

Chris Griffiths

20th September 2010, 11:40 PM

My thoughts on the 2010 Defence Forces Air Show-

Participation- the show lost little with the absence of International visitors(A warm welcome to the crew of 63-8022, I trust you enjoyed your weekend a long way from Kansas), It would have been nice to see the Army participate, A Tiger or MRH-90.. even a Blackhawk would have been nice to see though the disdain the Army show for thee events is pretty well known. Good to see the Navy there.

Display- Static, Hard to complain about that the RAAF, Navy, and private hstoric stuff was pretty impressive, seems anything that was available was there(Oh, I already said my piece about the Army)

Display- Flying, damn fine except for the weather(Sunday was problematic for photography) sure there were some gaps but there was a fair bit to see with some novelties, the Porsche/Hawk Challenges were, if a little contrived certainly a touch of fun. The "Blue Cobras"(or is it Purple?) dogfight was an interesting touch and rarely seen before... if not as savage as I would expect a head on guns range knife fight to be in reality.
Commentary was good, I thought for a while the British guy was an import for the show until he spoke later about his day job, His presence on the microphone etc led me to believe he was a professional like Bob Constondurous that does the PA at the Grand prix.
Summing up the display, I got the impression that the participants were enjoying themselves rather than just carrying out an assignment.

Organisation-I have trouble finding much fault.
Catering, I read all the doomsayers on Sat and took my own so can't comment but admit the queues looked longish although no worse than other major events I have been to.
Parking and Access, I arrived at Cabbage Tree Road "Swamp Road" Car park entrance at about 7:15 so was parked in front row approx 200mtrs West of Tacan ant, bought ticket and waited to cross RWY at 8:00... crossed RWY about 8:20.
Leaving- I photographed solo Hornet taxying past at 15:58, then followed crowd across RWY wandered up to car, looked around, joined queue for Terminal exit of car park, heard there was an incident that had blocked that exit and turned back for "Swamp Road" by this time a path had been beaten across the rapidly emptying field and I followed it, was out on the road and well on the way to Hexham 20min after last photo, somewhere abeam Wyong at the benchmark 90 minutes and having coffee with my parents in Toongabbie at 18:43, less than 3 hrs after the last landing of the display.

My final thoughts, I, somewhat stupidly nearly let the doomsayers talk me out of going, I never got to read the books or consume the supplies that were part of my .. just pull over and chill out plan!

And why did I write this rant??
Whilst I accept that some may have had less luck with the parking etc, I just got tired of the complaints about what was a pretty well run event and one I am glad our troops put on for us.

Tony P

21st September 2010, 08:23 AM

Well said Chris.

Plus it's the Purple Cobras.

Mike S

21st September 2010, 08:58 AM

The funniest moment on the day for me was when the PA had an FA-18 pilot on. I made i joke about Top Gun earlier and i laughed so hard when i heard this pilot's callsign....

ICEMAN.

Im glad the Sunday turned out to be better for you mate. I still think it could of been organised better, but oh well. It beats doing the household chores i guess :)

Dan Hammond

21st September 2010, 09:30 AM

Hi Guys,

I found it to be an awesome weekend. The waiting time for food was around 30mins for me but i was not fussed as i had time to kill before the flying displays.

I went both days and found Saturday to be the better day mainly because of the weather but thats just my opinion.

As for getting out, we parked on the rugby field on the airshow side of the airfield and on both days we had no issue getting out. Time from hopping in the car to being well on our way out the gate and off to Nelson Bay was literally 5 mins.

When i went on the C130 i spoke to a member of the crew and asked why they did not fly on Saturday. He said they were all ready to go everything was running smoothly but because there was a series of airshow aircraft taking off ahead of them they missed their slot and had to cancel their display. He also said the organiser of the airshow got his **** kicked on Sunday morning for not getting the C130 in the air on Saturday. The crew were a bit annoyed that they did not get up on Saturday.

In my opinion it truly was a great weekend. Bring on the next ADF Airshow :)

Lee G

21st September 2010, 02:18 PM

I don't know about the carparking ... it only took me 2 minutes to exit the car park - I know I did better than a few people I was meeting later.. but hey, it's a public event .....

My only complaints about the day were that a 6' 3" German guys head kept appearing in my shots and the main one - for photography, the car park on the opposite side of the runway would have been better later in the day.

Apart from that, a great show and will definately be going to Amberley for the next one.

I was also talking this morning to a work collegue who used to work on the F-111's at Richmond. He said that the aerial wheels down dump and burn photos are close on to a collectors item as when the gear is extended. the gear door/airbrake creates an area of low pressure and has the ability to suck the dumped fuel back towards the aircraft and as such it was not permitted, not when he was working on them anyway.

Here are a couple of my better shots from the day - the head on of the Rhino is THAT aircraft that blew everyones eardrums out!

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2010288/IMG_1981-1.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2010288/IMG_1946-1.jpg

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2010288/IMG_1735-1.jpg