24 April 2008

Hurc Flyover

| Joe Canberran
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The ADF has announced here that a RAAF “C-130J Hercules will conduct a flyover of the nation’s capital as the Olympic Torch conducts its journey through Canberra.”
“The aircraft will fly above Anzac Parade from south to north no lower than 75 metres.”
“The flyover will occur at approximately 10.20am on Thursday, 24 April 2008.”

The media release goes on to state that the RAAF’s Hurcs are based in Richmond but anyone who has been out to Canberra Airport in the last week will have seen one sitting on the tarmac out there.

Why a Hurc and not one of the flasher military aircraft? Actually why a military aircraft at all? Isn’t the torch relay supposed to be about peace, harmony, sport, etc?

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Oh yeah we’d just arrived near Olims when it went over. Very impressive – low to the ground and lots of noise. Using a Herc for this is great IMO because it just looked so massive and flies so slowly I thought it was close to falling out of the sky onto Ainslie shops.

Must be lots of crims at the airport, or just a big noose. Or is the hanger to lift the hurcs to change their tires?

Probably in one of those hangars they have there.

The media release goes on to state that the RAAF’s Hurcs are based in Richmond but anyone who has been out to Canberra Airport in the last week will have seen one sitting on the tarmac out there.

There’s nearly always a Herc or two parked at the airport. Qantas Defence Services do the major servicing work on them out of the big hanger on Brindabella Circuit.

The Australian Government isn’t in the habit of owning aircraft other than for military purposes, hence presumably why they have elected to use a ‘hurc’ (sic).

Since the ADF have their own business to conduct in relation to tomorrow’s activities, it could also be completely unrelated.

Maybe they’ll push a load of Tibetans out the back as it flies over – without parachutes – as a sign that the Australia and ACT Govts support the Chinese? 🙂

By the way, QANTAS Defence Services have a contract with the RAAF to perform maintainance on the Hercules fleet, and some of that work is carried out at Fairbairn in the formerly Impulse Airlines hangar.

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