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The Australian International Air Show, Part I: The Greatest Show Off Earth
By Dr. Simon Ng

Article Type: Feature
Article Date: March 16th, 2001

Imagine a 40º C (that’s 104º F for you non-metric types) day, an open airfield blown by a hot, dusty northerly, a pearly sky completely devoid of clouds, and about a hundred-thousand sweating bodies. What could possibly make someone like me, a mild-mannered research scientist with a passion for fine music and writing, stand in this torture oven from 8:00 in the morning until 4:00 in the afternoon?

Air Power!

That’s right; the 2001 Australian International Airshow had just begun, and I was there, ready to breathe in all the high-octane av-gas, and bask in the glory, power and thunder of modern air power. Admittedly, I’m not much of an airplane fanatic. Sure, I fly Falcon 4.0 occasionally, and I’ve dabbled with a few other flight simulations, but my real interest lies elsewhere: Brigade Combat Team, TacOps, Combat Mission. Still, there is something almost surreal about watching from the ground as aircraft cut a wake through the sky, coming in on silent wings and then roaring past with all the fury that modern technology can muster. It was enough to drag me from bed at 6:00 a.m., into a friend’s car at 7:00 a.m and to Avalon Airfield, located just 40km from the outskirts of Melbourne (not far from Melbourne’s satellite city of Geelong).

You might all be wondering why a two-bit air show in a country on the other side of the world is of any interest to anyone. After all, our whole airforce boasts only a few hundred planes (a bit over 250 to be more precise), a sum that includes trainers and transports as well as fighters. We’re hardly a military power. But the Australian International Air Show is, in fact, one of the world’s great air shows, with enormous industry and public support tied to a history spanning twenty-five years. Further, the RAAF is one of the oldest independent air arms in the world, just 3 years younger than the RAF and twenty-five years older than the USAF (which didn’t gain independence from the US Army until after WWII). This year’s Avalon air show coincided not only with the Federation of Australia, but also the 80th anniversary of the RAAF. And so it was a celebration of history as much as of modern technology.

Insignia of the Royal Australian Air Force

In terms of industry trade, the air show boasted more than 500 exhibitors, including representatives from the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Italy, France, Sweden, China, Israel and South Africa. Items for sale and/or demonstration included everything from fighter aircraft to search and rescue sonar buoys, with remote control models, flight simulators and a cornucopia of weapon systems thrown in to boot. Not only that; the Avalon show featured an enormous variety of displays. At any given moment, a glance skyward revealed everything from modern fighter jets to vintage airliners, warbirds to ultralights, spectacular acrobatics to wingwalking. The show went on for seven days, with only two-and-a-half of those open to the public. There was so much to see that, despite spending a good eight hours wandering the pavilions and the fields, I still feel I missed half of it. But my photographer Mark Forrest and I did our darndest to see as much as we could. The end result is this documentary of our experiences, with plenty of juicy photographs to flesh it out.

On the morning of our big adventure, I was salivating at the mouth. I’d never been to an air show before; never even seen anything other than a commercial airliner up close. The driving reason for me to go was to see jets. And now? I think I’m hooked!

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) makes use of two distinctive aircraft: the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-111. I have a particular fondness for the F-111. I just love its brutish lines. Front on, it is easy to see why it has earned the nickname “Pig”.

The F-111

The enormous intakes and the flattened wedge of the nose cone, together with the gull-winged cockpit, establish an air of brute force. The RAAF first purchased the controversial F-111 in 1973, too late for use in the Vietnam war. The F-111 (of which Australia has thirty-five: twenty-one F-111Cs, four of which have been converted for reconnaisance duties, and fourteen F-111Gs) is used as a strike aircraft by the RAAF. It is fast, long-ranged and capable of carrying an extensive payload. It is also equipped with some very sophisticated technology. One of the more interesting discussions relating to the F-111’s advanced technology came from a serving RAAF pilot.

A real Aussie pilot in front of his F-111.

Standing at the pointy end of the “Pig”, he spoke animatedly about his plane’s all-weather, day/night, terrain-following radar. “The scariest ride of my life,” he said, describing his first exposure to the fully automated nap-of-earth autopiloting and navigation system. Trusting life to a computer, the pilot releases the stick and allows the plane to chart its own course across varied terrain at levels as low as 70m (about 200ft). When a hill appears ahead, the F-111 waits until the last moment to adjust its path and skim over it. At night, “on their first flight using the nap-of-earth autopilot, pilots scream,” he told us. Sounds like fun, huh?

The RAAF’s receipt of seventy-five F/A-18 Hornets in 1985 followed a rather lengthy procurement process, in which the F-16 Falcon was also considered. Many may ask why Australia chose the F/A-18 over the highly regarded F-16, and the answer highlights the compromises that countries like Australia have to make when procuring for their armed forces. Australia has a large land mass (about the size of the continental United States) but a population of only a little over 19 million—translated, this means a large area to defend, but a very small population with which to defend it.

Still the best Air Superiority fighter in service?

While the F-16 is clearly aimed at air superiority, Australia needed a more versatile aircraft that could simultanaeously fulfill three roles: air defence, air superiority and ground attack. The F/A-18, capable at all three, although by no means a master of any, suited the RAAF’s needs. In the same way, the use of larger numbers of small, tactical strike aircraft like the F-111, with their high payload, makes much more sense than the purchase of a few large, very expensive strike bombers.

The F-18 and F-111 are scheduled to remain in use with the RAAF for another ten to fifteen years. Both have undergone considerable upgrade, with futher enhancements outlined in the most recent Defence White Paper put forward by the Australian Federal Government. But the Defence Force needs to look to its future if it is to retain competitive dominance within the Australasian region. The White Paper outlined Australia’s new strategic policy: defence of Australia, requiring control of the northern air-sea gap and strike capabilities that allow an engagement of adversaries as far from Australia’s shores as possible. The outlined emphasis on airforce and naval platforms as the primary defence for Australia makes sense in the context of our environment. As an island with a large area of uninhabitable land and a vast coastline, controlling the air and sea avenues to our shores is the most reasonable and efficient form of defence. Any land-based defence, inherently less mobile, can then be concentrated around vital economic and social centres. In Australia, these centres amount to a small proportion of the total area.

The Eurofighter.

The Eurofighter front on, showing the distinctive intakes and the forward canards.

The RAAF is contemplating a number of platforms to replace the F/A-18 and/or the F-111, and to achieve the stated goals of the Defence White Paper. Two of the platforms under consideration were on display at the air show, and both were enough to bring goosebumps to the skin. Perhaps most exciting was the Eurofighter Typhoon. Unfortunately, it wasn’t flying, but it was on display for all to see. A stint in the cock-pit was available, revealing the fully digital layout. The delta wings provide high-speed stability, with maneuverability at both subsonic and supersonic speeds enhanced by the forward canards. Being a Materials engineer, I was most impressed by the complete absence of rivets on the Eurofighter’s fuselage: a sure sign of its modernity. The other platform present at Avalon was the F/A-18E Super Hornet.

Contender for replacement of the RAAF's Hornet.

It is easily distinguished from the F/A-18 Hornet by its larger size and, even more so, by its rectangular (versus rounded) air intakes. Unlike the Eurofighter, the Super Hornet was flying. Mark Forrest, my photographer, was fortunate enough to be well placed to capture it as it took off, and also to get a good view of its distinctive under-belly.

Square intakes distinguish the Super Hornet form its predecessor.

The Super Hornet and the Eurofighter aren’t the only platforms under consideration by the RAAF, although they are both multirole capable aircraft that would admirably fit Australia’s defence needs. Also on the list are the F-22 Raptor, America’s Joint Strike Fighter and the Dassault Rafale. In taking the timeline for replacement into account (ten to twenty years) it seems that the RAAF should be evaluating planes that are only now on the drawing board if they want best available, which makes platforms like the F-22 or the JSF more appropriate than the well-established Super Hornet. Of course, the recent White Paper’s stated goals will be a decisive factor in determining the RAAF’s final choice.

A contingent of visiting air forces attended Avalon, including the USAF and RAF. It was a great opportunity for Australians to see the F-15s and F-16s used extensively by the USAF. CPTN Mike Brockey amply demonstrated the F-15’s prowess, and the Tornado was an absolute treat.

I want to be like Mike.

RAF power. The Tornado.

I just love well built rear ends.

It performed the lowest passes of the day with its wings swivelled fully back, and also demonstrated some wonderfully graceful low-level banks and turns. It was easy to picture it low over the Fulda gap, wings swept back. The F-15’s display was awe inspiring—that is, when the USAF spokesperson on the loudspeaker wasn’t disturbing the tumult of the engines with his own brand of salesmanship. It was obvious that his pitch was tried and tested, and that he’d been on the road perhaps a tad too long, when he said, “and we’re here to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Royal . . . the Royal . . . the Royal Australian Air Force”. The faux pas elicited quite a few giggles from the crowd. I imagined that, in those few tense moments, he’d been shuffling through his notes to find out “where the heck he was anyway”.

Of course, the air show wasn’t just about modern jet fighters. There were plenty of other sights and sounds, just as interesting and just as significant: helicopters, transports and vintage aircraft; several of them unique to and/or made in Australia. But they will have to wait for part II. For now, I hope you enjoy the images of a wild day's ride.

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