Good week for the RAAF

[Hans Tucker]

To the military aircraft enthusiast on IIS....We received our 7th C17 Globemaster aircraft and our first of 12 RAAF EA-18G “Growler” electronic warfare jets this week.

[AndrewJ]

How long before Bronnie gets to try em out????

Andrew

[gregbradley]

I watched a C17 land the other day. I was fortuitously driving past when it was coming in. They roar when they reverse their engines and pull up fast. He also was banking quite hard to adjust his approach which is not something you see too often.

A spectacular jet.

Greg.

[dreamstation]

Quite regularly those C17's (I assume that's what they are, they look like it) fly pretty low over the town of Maryborough here in QLD. I've been told they use the airport for some sort of training. Well it's more like an airstrip compared to the larger airports in the cities. Sometimes they come up a couple of times a week for an hour or so before heading back south.

I assume you are in the RAAF Hans so can you give us any more info on what they are doing exactly? It's pretty awesome to watch. You can tell when they are around, as Greg said they make some noise!

[rat156]

Being on the inside when the take off is sensational.

I had the privilege of flying in one twice when I was in Afghanistan. Fully loaded with personnel and earth moving equipment they sit on the runway and run the engines up with the brakes on, then they release the brakes and go full throttle. It's like being shot out of a cannon, I imagine (having never been shot out of a cannon, that's more a Mike S. type activity!). And they are quick, the trip that seems to take an eternity in a C130 was over before I started to feel airsick (almost), civvies and tactical flying don't mix!

Cheers
Stuart

[Hans Tucker]

I left the RAAF back in 2008 after 21 years and have taken up a civilian position. Thinking now that I should have stayed in given the new toys they are buying (C27J, Growler, P8 and Triton)

Yes, they, C17's, are training. They have a few airfields of different lengths they go to practice approach, landing and take-off's. When I was based at Pearce it wan't uncommon to see QANTAS 747's doing touch and go's as part of their training.