Air Force shutting London Circuit down

bundah said :

How awesome would it be if two or three hornets performed some aerial manoeuvres to compliment the event.

Skywhale vs Airforce Balloon

How awesome would it be if two or three hornets performed some aerial manoeuvres to compliment the event.

Mothy said :

. . I was curious what it was for, figured others might be too.

Thank you. I was.

Don’t phuq with 28 Sqn. Steely-eyed killers, one and all.

From the Royal Australian Air Force Facebook Page

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Royal Australian Air Force
20 hours ago
28SQN ‘Freedom of Entry’ to the City of Canberra
Air Force’s 28 Squadron will exercise its ‘Freedom of Entry’ to the City of Canberra on 24 August 2013 with a parade through the city, beginning at 10am in Knowles Place.
28 Squadron is Canberra’s own squadron and its 30th Anniversary will be celebrated in Canberra’s centennial year with a centuries old tradition of a Freedom of Entry parade.
The members of 28 Squadron will march through London Circuit before being challenged by the Chief Police Officer to present the Freedom of Entry Scroll and then continuing their march into Civic Square.
The granting of the ‘Freedom of Entry to a City’ to a military unit is a ceremony that has very old origins. The early history of Europe shows that walled cities and trained soldiers protected citizens from marauding armies. The right of entry to a city by outside soldiers was rarely granted by authorities. When such grants were made, much ceremony was associated with the privilege, demonstrating the pride of the unit concerned, and the trust bestowed by the citizens.
Cities are no longer walled nor do they train their own armies, however, for geographical and other reasons, strong links are forged between military units and the cities where they are stationed. Today, a ‘freedom’ indicates the pride the local municipality has in its long associations with the military unit involved, and is reflected in the traditional format of the ‘freedom’ parade.
28 Squadron involvement in the Canberra community has been quite visible with its members among the crew of Air Force’s hot air balloon here in the nation’s capital. The big blue balloon has been a popular sight for residents and visitors over the years.
28 Squadron manages components of Air Force’s strategic communications capability, including Specialist Reserve Public Affairs Officers and the Air Force Imagery Specialist mustering, and provides administrative support for many Air Force personnel posted to the ACT region.
Over the years, 28 Squadron has provided support to Australian Defence Force exercises and operational deployments overseas. At home, 28 Squadron fire fighters responded to emergencies including the devastating 2003 Canberra bushfires.
The parade will be led by the Commanding Officer for 28 Squadron, Wing Commander Karen Ashworth.
Wing Commander Ashworth said 28 Squadron’s history demonstrated its very close bond with Canberra.
#Canberra
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I was curious what it was for, figured others might be too.