Just how much does 34 Squadron cost?

Do the planes have Escape from New York Airforce One escape pods???

JonnieWalker said :

34SQN – probably the best looking squadron in the RAAF

Just swap out your entrenching tool for some curling irons and you’re ready to go

34SQN – probably the best looking squadron in the RAAF

JC said :

RadioVK said :

You have to remember that a lot of these flights would also be used to train crew and accrue flight hours to maintain aircrew currency. It does make more sense for them to be doing it while performing some useful task rather than flying an empty aircraft in circles just to get the hours up.

Actually they aren’t. The RAAF has an agreement with Qantas, from whom the aircraft are leased. Training on the BBJ’s and also the Wedgtails which are all 737’s is done on Qantas simulators with actual flying taking place on Qantas commercial flights. When the RAAF has more pilots than RAAF flying available said pilots also fly for Qantas.

I must admit I didn’t know that. There was a time when almost all training was “in house”. A lot has changed since the introduction of high fidelity flight simulators.

Still, there’s no substitute for the real thing.

JC said :

mossrocket said :

In addition this reveals yet another contradiction of concerns by the ABC. Only this week the ABC have expressed concerns that a leased property sits empty while PM resides at the police academy when he is in Canberra. But, they would prefer that the VIP aircraft leased at a cost of $4,871,867 pa sit idle and while politicians use domestic flights instead?

Slight difference. Flying the aircraft to ONLY pic up Liberal members at an expense greater than leaving the a/c on the ground, and depending upon who you believe greater than commercial means is a bit rich. For one if it was cheaper why not pick up Labor members too?

The idle house, here is the government paying an extra $110 a night when a more than suitable property is available to him and already paid for. This without doubt was a political stunt, never mind of course he knew and was consulted before the election about the property and was even offer the chance to inspect as possible alternative PM.

I did indicate that at least in my time at 34 Sqn, the “cabinet specials” picked up all Members and Senators from WA and SA (or as many as the aircraft would take) and not just government ones.

RadioVK said :

You have to remember that a lot of these flights would also be used to train crew and accrue flight hours to maintain aircrew currency. It does make more sense for them to be doing it while performing some useful task rather than flying an empty aircraft in circles just to get the hours up.

Actually they aren’t. The RAAF has an agreement with Qantas, from whom the aircraft are leased. Training on the BBJ’s and also the Wedgtails which are all 737’s is done on Qantas simulators with actual flying taking place on Qantas commercial flights. When the RAAF has more pilots than RAAF flying available said pilots also fly for Qantas.

mossrocket said :

In addition this reveals yet another contradiction of concerns by the ABC. Only this week the ABC have expressed concerns that a leased property sits empty while PM resides at the police academy when he is in Canberra. But, they would prefer that the VIP aircraft leased at a cost of $4,871,867 pa sit idle and while politicians use domestic flights instead?

Slight difference. Flying the aircraft to ONLY pic up Liberal members at an expense greater than leaving the a/c on the ground, and depending upon who you believe greater than commercial means is a bit rich. For one if it was cheaper why not pick up Labor members too?

The idle house, here is the government paying an extra $110 a night when a more than suitable property is available to him and already paid for. This without doubt was a political stunt, never mind of course he knew and was consulted before the election about the property and was even offer the chance to inspect as possible alternative PM.

I think they should save money by cutting back on maintenance, and then let natural attrition do the rest.

JC said :

MERC600 said :

A hell of a lot. But I wonder why the ABC have decided now to have a squiz at it…?

Clearly you didn’t read the first post in this thread. If that isn’t clear let me help you. 34 Squadron is there to fly around the PM and the GG, plus other VIP’s visiting the country. It can also be used to fly, senior government ministers to places where it may be difficult to get to by commercial means.

However the Abbott government used it to go to WA to pick-up WA Liberal pollies, at far greater expense than commercial means would have cost, though the government claims it was cheaper.

Now Labor didn’t do this when in power, though apparently Peter Reith used to use them a lot in the Howard years for flying around Aus and of course Howard himself used to commute from Sydney every day so he didn’t have to live in the lodge. Though as PM that was his ‘right’.

So that is why the ABC has decided to look at it NOW.

Nothing to do with the overall cost, nothing to do with its purpose in life, but all to do with why it was used by the Liberal party for this purpose when commercial would have been cheaper.I should add if it was truley about cost to the taxpayer why did they not also collect or offer to collect Labor MP’s from WA?

I started my first (of three) tours of 34 Sqn in 1986 and BAC 111 flights to and from Perth (via Adelaide) to bring pollies to Canberra for parliament were common place. Another jet used to pick up the Qld contingent.
Although they were known to us as “cabinet specials”, they did in fact carry all pollies.

Thanks mossrocket for your reasonably accurate explanation. It’s a bit like when the Navy goes to rescue sailors in the Southern Ocean, it doesn’t cost a great deal.

Everything old is new again:

http://www.aspg.org.au/journal/2003spring_18_2/VIP-final.pdf

While we’re in nostalgia mode, could we also please have a juicy “It wiggles, it’s shapely…” (Google the phrase) scandalette, to take our minds off the present unpleasantness with our friends to the near north?