19 December 2006

Don't panic! (when the zoomy planes go past) - UPDATED

| johnboy
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[First filed: December 18, 2006 @ 12:24]

Mr. Evil has written in to draw our attention to Defence warnings that there’s going to be a major F-18 flypast at midday tomorrow to honour the memory of Wing Commander Dick Cresswell who commanded the 77 Squadron through the Second World War and the Korean War.

The hornets tomorrow are from the squadron he founded, hence the extreme hoopla (they wouldn’t do this for a Prime Minister, the USAF did do it for Ronald Reagan to put it in perspective)

UPDATE: I waited 45 minutes for the damn planes and went home in time to hear them shoot over my building. Humbug however had more luck on top of Mt. Pleasant.

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I-filed: Yes, I noticed her too 🙂

FB: Thanks for your comments. Dick’s family appreciates them 🙂

I can’t see what the problem is with 77SQN paying their respects to one of their ex-Commanding Officers, especially when you consider that Wg Cdr Cresswell spent a fair chunk of his RAAF career being shot at by either the Japanese, Chinese and/or the North Koreans, whilst serving his country.

VYBerlinaV8_now with_added_grunt12:27 pm 20 Dec 06

If we have to fly these things anyway, then it’d probably fitting to do it in such a way as this. I’m sure Dick was an amazing guy, that was never in question.

VY, are you deliberately trying to incite with that comment? If so I’ll bite. With reference to JB’s statement that they don’t do this for PM’s, that’s because Dick was FAR better man then any of our PM’s ever were, and I suspect any will ever be. Have a read about the bloke before you make the judgment about how honour him. I have had the privilege to know Dick and I know he would have been very humbled by the honour and he probably would said not to bother. I think it’s very fitting for a man of his calibre.

As Simto correctly said these things are flying around a lot anyway to keep pilots hours and experience up. The pilots get paid and we have to pay for fuel every time they go up, so instead of flying over the desert or the ocean why not get the pilots to fly over the city?

Absent Diane11:30 am 20 Dec 06

If that is the case simto (which sounds about right given my limited marine engineering experience), then yes they should definately parade them around to let the public know what we are paying for.

As noted each time we discuss this, they need to get a certain number of flying hours anyway to make sure that the people who fly ’em know what they’re doing. Either they can fly them around in the middle of nowhere (which is what they do most of the time), or they can fly them in populated areas for various presentational ways. The cost doesn’t change depending on where they are.

Now, if you beleive that Australia shouldn’t have this type of air capacity, that’s a different story altogether, and I’m happy to have that argument…

VYBerlinaV8_now_with_added_grunt10:14 am 20 Dec 06

I do, but I’m not asking others to pay for my habit. Hell, half the $$ I spend on fuel goes to the public purse.

i thought you liked noisy wasteful gas guzzlers

VYBerlinaV8_now_with_added_grunt10:05 am 20 Dec 06

[insert angry retort here]

VYBerlinaV8_now_with_added_grunt10:05 am 20 Dec 06

Honouring our war heroes is good and all, but sheesh, what a waste of public money – do you lot know how much it costs to run these bloody things?

Dont worry JB i did the exact same thing – sat out in the sun for the best part of an hour, before hearing them go over while I was in the lift on my way back up. *sigh*

There was a solitary, elegant woman dressed in black dark glasses by the side of the road as the cortege pulled out. She didn’t attend the service. Who was she?????

Yeah – but can he take photos? Don’t worry about it – some of the world’s best pics were taken on a Box-Brownie…

Thanks for the positive comments.
I really wish I had this guys setup. He had way too much equipment (mumble grumble grrrr…..humbug 😉

Fantastic shots, Humbug.

I wish I had a camera… You could make out the detail of the planes as they flew past the building…

hmm…yes….forgot those were public 😉

Yeah, noice pics humbug. As are the close-ups of the guitar on your site! (Don’t know about the BBQ ones though) 🙂

Absent Diane2:54 pm 19 Dec 06

I didn’t hear them. I feel sad on inside.

I heard the planes. I didn’t panic. Hooray!

oops. the flyover was today. not yesteerday. guess thasts what they were then.

some jets flew over canberra international businessport about 2:30, lots of loud noise. by the time i stood up and turned around, the noise, and presumably, the planes, were gne.
what were they ?

I have a prime position on the 12th floor of Industry House overlooking the War Memorial, should be a good sight…

I heard the screaming jets. No more no more no more………..

I’ll probably still panic.
I’m a very jumpy person.

Awww crap! I’ll be in Sydney all day. Bugger. Bugger Bugger.

cooooooool! Thanks for the heads-up Mr Evil

yep, around midday

Actually it’s expected 1.30-2.30pm

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