How the RAAF saves money!

[p38arover]

It seems they buy planes without wings.

It saves fuel (no engines and no flying), saves on maintenance (no flying), etc.

What a good idea.

See http://www.nearmap.com/'ll=-33.601196,150.781903&z=20&t=k&nmd=20110917

[Mick_Marsh]

Found the wings Ron.
http://www.aulro.com/afvb/attachment.php?attachmentid=39663&stc=1&d=1317422297
Notice the RAAF Track tactical trailer in the top right behind a couple of Perenties.

[p38arover]

It looks like they only buy the front bit of Boeing airliners so the PM can pretend to fly places for the news cameras.

[Mick_Marsh]

Well, they are trying to put the budget in surplus.
Although, I think they may have misunderstood the term "cost cutting".

[dhc4ever]

The remains of the E model hercs and the 707's that have been decommissioned over the last 5 years.
The OH&S and contamination issues in breaking up old aircraft are immense and expensive, consequentially they get shoved ibnto a corner until someone makes a decision.

[VladTepes]

Well at least we can assume that the RAAF vip fleet won't be getting any 787's.

Not with all that carbon fibre.

Carbon is bad........

[Lotz-A-Landies]

So maybe all this Kevin 747 is a myth and Rudd's actually really vain and likes to have his photo taken coming out of aeroplanes. The rest is photoshop! :D

[mudmouse]

I'd fly that bludger around in a Caribou (door open) anyday :wasntme:

I've seen a wingless Caribou at Richmond for ages...and a Wessex.

In the mid nineties I did a few trips to Nowra to get ideas for the Narromine air museum and the CO of Albatross was burning Wessex's for fire training - the museum curator offered me one for $5k including an engine in a can, just so it wouldn't get burnt - it got burnt :(

The base CO didn't want anything to do with old aircraft and thought the museum was a waste of time and money. Knob!

Matt.

[dhc4ever]

The wingless caribou is used by AMTDU at richmond for loadmaster and airmovements training. I believe its tail number was A4 264 which got pranged at cambelltown in the late 80's.

The terms CO and knob often go together all to seamlessly, I believe they do a course in it...........

[p38arover]

the CO of Albatross was burning Wessex's for fire training

When I was a trainee technician at the Dept of Civil Aviation (DCA) Training School back in '65, we had to do some fire fighting training at Mascot.

One of the aircraft used by DCA for fire training (not by us) was a Lincoln bomber. I have a photo here of us trainees climbing over it.

Another aircraft I saw destroyed for fire training was a Mosquito fighter (maybe bomber) at Archerfield in 1964 or '65. I got a photo before it was destroyed. I still have it, too.

[3toes]

They unboxed a Mosquito from the RAAF depot at Archerfield and flew it at a Battle of Britain airshow in the fifties.

Have to wonder if that was the same one.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

The Mosquitoes, particularly the Australian manufactured ones would not have survived in air worthy condition as the glues used to bond the airframe were natural products which break down with age.

A couple of years ago there were 2 Mosquito airframes being built in NZ around the remains of original aircraft. Haven't heard the current status of the project.

[flagg]

Is that Richmond Air Base?

[dhc4ever]

Is that Richmond Air Base?

Yep Richmond