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RAAF Base Amberley F-111 fighter jets end up on Swanbank landfill

The so-called 'Government' refused funding for two of the 'Pigs' to be retained in flying condition at RAAF Amberley.
It was an RAAF proposal that they keep one as an operational display aircraft with the second as a spare if needed, but as usual, the Government Dickheads vetoed the plan.
Bloody ignorant Leftie Muppets!!!!!! :173go1:
 
Apparently the aircraft had to be destroyed...mainly down to the fact that they were US funded and this was in the original agreement at time of purchase. The cockpit sections,I thought, might have been saved..but these contain large quantities of asbestos so had to be buried rather than crushed or burned.


Edit: There was talk of placing some Pigs off the coast to be used as a scuba tourism attraction. Is this still going ahead?
 
Speaking from personal experience, one looks at those birds being covered over and thinks of the skinned knuckles and scraped heads, butt-chewings from senior maintenance personnel, sweat and strain reaching odd corners of the aircraft for maintenance, competition among crew chiefs for the "best bird," wiping down the aircraft's belly with hydraulic fluid to make it glisten in the sun during landing "break," hours spent on weekends or holidays keeping them in shape, the time spent wondering what will be broken when our pilot returns the aircraft from its latest sortie, and the exhiliration of the occasional Friday afternoon flight line air show - and how all that happened for it to end - like this???
 
kilo delta said:
Apparently the aircraft had to be destroyed...mainly down to the fact that they were US funded and this was in the original agreement at time of purchase. The cockpit sections,I thought, might have been saved..but these contain large quantities of asbestos so had to be buried rather than crushed or burned.


Edit: There was talk of placing some Pigs off the coast to be used as a scuba tourism attraction. Is this still going ahead?
Click to expand...

The 'destruction clause' was long out of date and could have been {at least, so I'm told by my RAAF mates} easily negotiated away.
No idea about dumping them at sea, doubt that those of us who are into conservation would be pleased at all.
:kilroy:
 
I know they're just machines, tools of the trade so to speak, but I certainly believe after having had many a conversation with an airplane I was flying, and most likely at a time when I was begging and pleading with her to do something she didn't want to do, that these bundles of aluminum and wiring take on a piece of our souls. Ground crews treat them better than their own families and spend more time with their birds than they do with their wives. To a pilot, it's a relationship that crosses between that of a hot sexy 25 year old mistress that can dish out both pleasure and pain to that of a faithful old dog. Sometimes I can't figure out where that line gets drawn either. Seeing pictures like that, it just leaves me speechless. I understand fully that they are nothing more than assets on a balance sheet to most, but to us happy few...:salute:
 
I agree that this is appalling and disrespectful to all those that kept them flying with blood, sweat and tears. I have the same feeling everytime I drive past the Regeneration center at DM. So many memories gone. At least the US saves many of their significant aircraft to display at various museums.

Not well done Aussies.
 
We did start discussing this thing in the thread "Pigs in a hole". I did think later that it may have been something to do with the nasty materials used as sealant and other things in these planes. One of those class action court proceedings is an ongoing thing in these parts for ex RAAF maintenance crews. You would think and hope that some flying and non-flying machines have been retained for historic display purposes.

That issue about sinking some of the older aircraft as a diving wrecks, I think got knocked on the head. Apart from the carcinogenic material on board, I think to many people wanted them as above ground displays where they could see the things.
 
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