One for our Australian members

[Stewart Pearson]

From a UK spotters website;

FORGET Riverfire – the upcoming Ipswich Mayor's Christmas Carols by
Candlelight will feature the final F-111 dump-and-burn.

The RAAF Base Amberley-based jets are set to be decommissioned next month
and their replacements, the F/A-18F Super Hornet, cannot perform the
crowd-pleasing stunt.

Wing Commander Micka Gray, Commanding Officer No 6 Squadron, said a
dump-and-burn would be performed at the carols event as a thank-you to the
Ipswich community.

He said the city had always supported the jets and all RAAF Base Amberley
personnel.

“It's a good way for the Ipswich community to see the F-111s for the last
time,” Wing Commander Gray said.

“We just want to thank the people of Ipswich for their ongoing support for
the F-111.”

He said doing a flyover for the November 27 event was good preparation for
the F-111s' final journey just six days later on December 3.

As part of the final flight plans, four jets will leave RAAF Base Amberley
at 11.30am before splitting off in pairs and heading on flights around
south Queensland and northern NSW.

Ipswich residents will then be able to see the jets as they fly back over
town about 1pm. Both times are subject to conditions.

Air force personnel will also be at the carols with a display featuring an
F-111 escape module and information on the jets.

Mayor Paul Pisasale said he was excited the dump-and-burn would close the
Queensland Times-sponsored event.

Hosted by the Ipswich Turf Club at Bundamba, doors open at 5pm. From 6pm, a
concert will start on the main stage with kids TV personalities and a
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa show.

At 7pm the family entertainment starts, with performances by the Ipswich
City Orchestra and well-known singers Deni Hines and Anthony Callea.

The fireworks show is due to begin at 8.45pm, with the F-111 dump-and-burn
straight after."

[Dark Morelia]

*sigh* if only I didn't live so far away, I'd love to see one flying again before they go.
I missed seeing any at the recent Williamtown show too

[fishlips]

Nothing like waking up in the morning to aviation fuel.

Mark

[fishlips]

I don't know where I'll be just yet, I may get a ring side seat.

Mark

[Stewart Pearson]

I don't know where I'll be just yet, I may get a ring side seat.

Mark

Not sure where I'm going to be either Mark. My travel plans are somewhat dependant on other factors.









The biggest one being whether six certain numbers get drawn in the lotto or not!

[fishlips]

A few pic's for anybody who has never seen the RAAF F111 dump & burn.

[sprocky]

A few pic's for anybody who has never seen the RAAF F111 dump & burn.

Thanks mate. Should have scrolled down the page before I googled "F-111 dump-and-burn" Nice vids available on the net.

[fishlips]

The dump and burn is an awesome sight to see and I've seen many of them up close and it never fails to give you a tingle down the spine. The third photo shows the dump and burn as the aircraft is taking off at RAAF Base Williamtown and I can tell you that the heat that you can feel is enormous, especially as the aircraft banks and points the burners toward you.
River Fire in Brisbane was always a crowd pleaser with up to 5 F111's just on night fall doing 400kts at 500ft up the Brisbane River and breaking in each direction up into the sky with full afterburner and dumping fuel.
You could see the sky light up from over 100km's away.
If you seen the state that the retired aircraft are now in, you could almost cry.T hey look like some thing that's been hanging in a public park for the past twenty years. It's disgrace.

Mark

[sprocky]

Just a question about the procedure: has this feature been intentionally implemented? If so the only reason for this seems to be that the dumped fuel does not pollute the air and subsequently the earth below. In this case I wonder why this is not common on modern jets.

[Stewart Pearson]

I seem to recall a video from an Australian display, where the commentator said that the effect was discovered purely by accident, during a normal dump. Thereafter the pilots (in typical Aussie style) decided "What a beaut idea!!"

No information as to whether this is true or not. Perhaps Mark can update us.

[f4nutter]

do you think if i ask they would postpone this untill i get there in february ?

[fishlips]

As I recall the story of the dump & burn discovery, the aircraft in question developed a fault shortly after take-off and had to return to the airport, as the aircraft was too heavy to land safely being juiced up a fuel dump was preformed as standand however the pilot didn't lower the fuel nosel which sits in the upright position between the two afterburner rings and hit the after burner to increase the fuel flow and that's how it came about, much to the shock and horror of on-lookers. The lighting of the fuel requires the use of afterburner, otherwise it does not ignight.
When it was discovered that the dump and burn was safe to preform it become a party trick at airshows and grew from that.
There is no particular reason why other aircraft can not be fitted to preform a similar fuel burn other than cost of the fuel, also keeping in mind the large amount of fuel that the F111 carries over that of common fighter aircraft...

The picture below shows an F111 dumping fuel before landing at RAAF Base Amberley without afterburner.

[jaguar1]

Having read a lot of reviews recently about the retirement of the RAAF F-111's on 2nd/3rd of december, can anyone confirm that they have ceased operating. I've been looking around on the web and can't seem to find any details or photos from the retirement ceremony which was due to be held at Amberley. I'm hoping now that the Australian government have found a new role for these birds as they were due to be replaced by their new Super-Hornets.

[Bell 209]

Yep, all now parked at Amberley. There are a few (five I think) that are kept ticking over for the time being but that's just so they can be flown to their final resting places, as far as I can see. The F/A-18F is operational with 1SQN, 6SQN are working up with theirs and the first batch of Growler-capable F/A-18Fs is now at Amberley, too. A sad sight but one that had to come eventually.