Anyone going to Avalon on Saturday?

[barx1963]

I was thinking of heading down to the Airshow at Avalon on Saturday. Wondering if any other IISers were heading that way. I am keen to try out the 100-400 zoom and the 5DII on some aircraft.

Malcolm

[Auster1b]

Malcolm,
We are flying the old Auster in on Thursday arvo and will be parked with the other oldies and flyout Sunday after the show.
Once you are in and parked, you have to stay until stumps.

Ours will be the one still covered in Nullarbor dust after a recent and spectacular trip to Perth and back with some other old aircraft.

We will generally be hanging around the Antique Aeroplane Association tent.

Neil.

[FlashDrive]

Wish I was ..... :( :sad:

Flash ..!!

[traveller]

If you do go to Avalon Malcolm, look up my mate Dave Jacka who is aiming to be the first person to fly solo around Australia (he also happens to be a quadriplegic)!
http://www.onawingandachair.org.au/
Cheers,
Bo

[Hans Tucker]

Anyone going to the Airshow might be surprised by the amount of security around the F-22, which is grouped with the F-18F's and Hawk aircraft. It's a three level security, first level (outer) is RAAF Police Dogs and Handlers, second level (Middle) Victoria Police, third level (Inner) US Marines.

[pgc hunter]

I'm going on Sunday. Keen on seeing the F-22 and Superhornet displays.

Weather forecast is CLEAR for both days

[barx1963]

Well that was a bucket of fun!! Weather was warm dry and dusty. Displays were awesome especially the F22. Huge crowd! I last went in 1992 and the crowd I reckon was at least twice as large, possibly 100,000?
Took several hundred photos. The 100-400 L lense had a workout as did the 5dII's burst mode.

Malcolm

[FlashDrive]

Hey Malcolm ...can you post a few of your best shots here......Tar ....I have an addiction to anything involving Aviation ... especially Military stuff. :P

Flash ..!!

[barx1963]

Flash. I am working through them now, nearly filled 3 16gb cards!
Of course "best shot" may still not be very good, trying to get shots of things whipping past at nearly 1000kph (which is what the F22 and F18Fs were doing on their fast passes) is a tad difficult.

Malcolm

[cheaky]

I'm watching it from my back yard. Friday night was incredible, 2 fly overs of 4 F18s. Shook the house!

[FlashDrive]

Yah know ...back in the 70's while sitting in my room at night ( at Amberley Air Base ...had a room on the top floor of the Airman's Barracks ) ...I would often watch F111's ' screaming ' down the runway ...full afterburners on, and I'd watch them disappear into the night ...it was quite a sight to watch at times.
This would often happen several nights of the week, each week and so on.
It got so ' ho- hum ' after a while....it was just ' another ' Jet flying out to do some random mock attack against an unsuspecting target......generally a Power Station or Dam....and other one's you were never told about.

But, one can never under estimate the ' thrill ' of being there ...and being amongst the ' thunderous roar' as they scream only several hundred meters above your head.....it goes right through you.....it is Awesome.

I remember one time ...us boys had finished up a days work .....we had just started walking back to the hanger, when all of a sudden ...without warning ( you never hear them approaching ) especially if you are looking or walking in the opposite direction...a massive screech and thunderous shaking was right on top of us.....I can recall ' ducking ' as it happened.

Right above us ...at no higher than 200 feet AGL ( above ground level ) ...wings fully swept back ....after burners on .....an F111 roars over our heads and sneaks behind a hill at 400kts ... roughly 450mph.

There's just something about the 'thrill ' of being there.
Avalon Air Show .....missed it ..... maybe next year.

Flash ..!!

[barx1963]

I had a mate who was an avionics engineer at Amberley in the 80's (Sqn Ldr Bill "Ted" Malkin, we all called hime Ted as it was short for Sh***ead). He told me about going out in an F111 on a flight out to sea when they spotted a Taiwanese fishing boat. Bill was in the navigators seat as he was along to see how the electronic stuff he worked on was used in action. The pilot said watch this, and put the ground following radar on to 200ft/ The plane simply dropped out of the sky and pulled out of a near vertical dive 200ft above the fishing boat. Bill looked back to see 20 Taiwanese fishermen all diving into the water!
Those were the days!

Malcolm

[Auster1b]

40d 70-200f4 and a shakey hand:


Neil

[ving]

i often go to this but not this year as i have family issues to attend to. have fun :)

http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv203/davidwhall/DSC_3055small.jpg

http://i684.photobucket.com/albums/vv203/davidwhall/DSC_3085m.jpg

[04Stefan07]

Unreal shots! I went on Sunday and got some shots I am very proud of!