Such a bad lot of pics...

They're much better than the view we had from the airport!

Chris - I saw a crowd up at the Sydney mast...I was down on the stone jetty just below you.

Thanks for the heads up they were inbound Nige - I couldn't see due to the headland and they would've been almost on top of me before I knew it!

No problems Andrew. I expected them to pop up on 123.00, but they were on another freq the whole time. The only clue was the guy on 123.00 telling a Rex Saab of the military fighter formation in their 1100 at about 5Nm.

Interesting to note that the RAAF Hornet is a two seater in No 75 Sqn colours. It's a long way from home (Tindal N T) or perhaps has been reallocated to one of the Williamtown units and not yet been repainted.

SQN colours haven't meant much since the main parts of the HUG program were started in 2005. The aircraft are now basically owned by 78 or 81WGs and are allocated to squadrons as required.

The view from our end.
 

Here's what some of it looked like up here.

After watching them go crazy all week, they behaved themselves today. This was the only one that got a little boisterous.
http://users.tpg.com.au/hawk16/Aircr...336-LR-001.jpg

This one seems to have some new nose art commemorating the trip. It says something about Downunder and I can make out a cartoon Kangaroo and an Eagle but I just can't quite make out the details.
http://users.tpg.com.au/hawk16/Aircr...8-LR-1-001.jpg

The Sydney formation made a pass over the base on their way back.
http://users.tpg.com.au/hawk16/Aircr...557-LR-001.jpg

On the pitch.
http://users.tpg.com.au/hawk16/Aircr...585-LR-001.jpg

And another.
http://users.tpg.com.au/hawk16/Aircr...590-LR-001.jpg

Hope you like 'em. :D

Cheers,
Motty.

Ooh nice shot! :D

Cheers,
Motty.

Thanks Andrew - I've known about that for a while and have been involved in several discussions on other boards about it as Motty would confirm.

But don't you think it's a great pity that...."SQN colours haven't meant much since the main parts of the HUG program were started in 2005." What's happened to tradition, pride, the sense of belonging to a unit, camaraderie and esprit de corps that unit colours and badges engender ?

If that's an official attitude then it overlooks the historical significance of heraldry and "rallying around the flag" or colours and may also belittle the achievments of Squadrons in wartime when colours, emblems and badges were often a morale booster.

Our throw away and dollar driven society is obviously driving this issue and the same thing is happening with No 79 and 76 Sqn Hawks when they're swapped between units.

The exotically painted Hawk A27-21 of No 79 Sqn incorporated several aspects of the Sqn's history in its scheme (codes UP-U from WW2), green/white colours from Thailand during the Vietnam War, and a Phoenix rising from the ashes denoting the Sqn's rebirth as a Mirage Sqn in the 80s.

But that aircraft has been based at Williamtown with 76 Sqn for several years and has still not been repainted.

I've mentioned on other boards that unit markings will probably disappear over the next few years as RAAF accountants "fly our dollars further". We'll probably see a generic wing or base decal applied to aircraft which can be easily replaced when aircraft are moved around.

I'm a traditionalist and don't like it one bit.

Excellent photo's guys. Thanks for posting. Love the ANG tail markings.

As for squadron markings - the cost of repainting an aircraft everytime it is moved between units is expensive and a repaint is normally only done when scheduled after a major servicing these days (every 5-6 years i think). Even small sqn markings would require paint removal and then a repaint which is a cost that defence probably dont want with money being tight.

I do agree though that sqn markings are a tradition and one of pride for the sqn's themselves. One C-130H (A97-011 on memory) had it's Stallion repainted after a servicing looking like it'd put on a few kilograms and the sqn was not happy. They requested and got a repaint back in the 90's, with the Stallions extra weight dissapearing.