Cooda

They dug it out and successfully flew it off the beach.

It’s a great feeling, isn’t it Womble. I wish your son all the best and hope he falls into a strong and supportive course group. No one does it by themselves.

Apologies but there’s apparently a bit more “proud father skiting” to be done. Fifteen years ago he started out learning to fly a Drifter. Today, he’s flying the F-22 Raptor, courtesy of a USAF exchange. He describes it as “Impressive!”

And just to close off the proud father skiting bit (yep. Still proud after all these years.)

And after 9 years:

I've stopped at Dunmarra many times over the past 40 years and never realized the strip was there. There's plenty of space around the bowsers to accommodate a taxying Jab. Ditto between the roadhouse and the strip from the look of the aerial photo. From the news photo, it looks like they're on the highway verge. You can see a thin strip of sealed surface beyond the starboard wing root. The highway is the only sealed surface in the vicinity. There's miles of visibility in both directions on the highway, so it's not infeasible to see it as an attractive runway, in a practical sense. Save the 10 minute taxi back to the far end of the strip etc. Not sure what effect the camber would have on a Jab's tendency to swing left. But I note that it is the port wing that's dug in. Winds this time of the year are strong, variable and gusting. I was caught out at Tindal in a Jab a couple of years ago taking off on 14. ATIS had winds at 8kts from 110. Got to 30kts on the take off run and the port wing lifted and kept lifting against full left stick. Son in RHS later said the ASI had briefly swung to 70kts + as the fun started. There couldn't have been much of a gap between the ground and the starboard wing tip before I got the nose into wind and recovered. Tindal 14 is a lot wider than the Stuart Highway at Dunmarra, so I had room to move (just.....those runway lights were looking pretty big at the end.). I'm guessing old mate got caught out in similar fashion but with more limited options.

Hi Denis That 60% is presumably based on those who passed the initial screening and were allowed to commence training at BFTS and averaged over a period (?) In the lad's course, 40 commenced at ADFA and 20 graduated to BFTS. Of those, 14 made it to 2FTS with 9 achieving Wings. Of the 9, 5 went to Hawks, 2 went to KC30, 1 to Wedgetail and 1 to PC3. Of the 5 who went to Hawks, all graduated - with 3 now having graduated from 2OCU and joined their squadrons, one was back coursed due to medical grounds and has now started at 2OCU and the fifth is waiting for his Super Hornet course to start. The following course at 2FTS had 14 gain their wings with 2 going on to Hawks (and a number of pissed off grads going everywhere but Hawks )

Well the wheel has turned full circle. The lad first sat in a Hornet as a 9 year old at a Tindal Open Day. Roll forward 15 years and he's now qualified to fly them. First posting.....75 Squadron at, you guessed it, Tindal. Can't believe how the past seven years have flashed by. Defence Force Recruiting...Flight Screening...ADFA...BFTS...2FTS...79 Squadron...76 Squadron...2 OCU...it's taken some effort. But has it been worth it? 'Ken Oath! (apparently)

Never a many as they'd like. They have to think of it as quality over quantity.

Jabiru - One of the two girls on his graduating Wings course went on to AWACS. The other has won through to F/A 18's - on merit (not affirmative action). I thinkl she may be the first female to get to Hornets. Spooks - If they can get the F35's operational, we should start seeing them here around 2018/19. Of the 40 pilot cadets who started at ADFA with him, 20 graduated, 14 passed BFTS and 9 gained their Wings - with 5 going on to the FJ lead in program on Hawks. All 5 have now passed.

Can't believe five years have passed so quickly. The lad is now a Flying Officer with a degree from UNSW (ADFA). And he starts training on F/A 18's in a few weeks time.

Updated media suggests a Brumby out of Sunbury.

So his not being rated for night or instrument flying can be discounted as an issue?

I still remember being held up north of Elliott on the Stuart Hwy for several hours while they recovered the four bodies from the C172 that had found the only wire crossing the highway for 400 km.

Trouble is, that's the way I land 'em. Stall warning sounding before the mains run on and stick hard back until the nose drops of its own accord. Still feels like skating on a frictionless surface - but it certainly keeps you focused throughout the landing roll.