@LordGeorgeRodney . Well, really because she was very nice. Yep, the initial short list did include the F104 Starfighter and the EE Lightning as well as the Mirage 111E as a replacement for the Sabre. Came back to between the F104 and the Mirage. F104 was too much a "missile with a man in it" for the Australian needs. and the pilots test flying the Mirage agreed that it was very nice to fly (ever heard that about a US century fighter?) Check the Stuart Wilson book for more on the story.
@LordGeorgeRodney I can understand your preference for the Harrier, but at that time it was little more than the "bedstead", okay, 1127. The perceived user profile in Australia is vastly different to any European theatre and very few combat aircraft are actually suitable for either tactical or strategic purposes here. Typically we need aircraft that have performance similar to the just retired F111. check that range and speed ability and you won't find much that can equal it.
I was at the RAAF Edinburgh airshow in '86 (posted to ARDU) and can't remember the 50 metre sound barrier "thing", but do recall that the sound barrier was broken sometime by an ARDU Mirage trying to keep up with the pattern. I do recall that a lot of compo claims were put in for broken glass houses and cracked walls. BTW, the Mirages were pretty well worn out by '86 - there were a lot of crashes and indeed ARDU lost a mirage I think that year.
@textasniffa Thanks for the comment. It's true that the "spirit" of the old days did bring a price. And as you say, the reality is that the aircraft do wear out.
by far the best fly by i ever saw was one by a P3C orion believe it or not. at low level, over the anzac day march. fast?- you betchya. amazingly so. didnt realise how bloody fast those things are..
i was there in '86 at raaf edinburgh when the mirage "slipped" through the sound barrier at about 50m off the deck. felt the shockwaves from about 800m away. deltas are sexy aircraft..the mirage iiio especially so.
@rcaddict72 You don't know how lucky you were (or maybe you do). :-) I've heard that they have an airshow in Durban (yes, South Africa) where an EE Lightning has been known to crack the sound barrier!! I think that's worth attending soon.
@planesounds ...at the time i didnt realise it..i was looking around at others and saying "i think that was a sonic boom!"...they al were "i think it was too!"...lol..we were all bewildered. the only way i could describe it was that it was like putting my head to the other side of a big bass drum and having someone hit it TWICE on the other side. there were two distinctive booms. about a quarter of a second apart.
Fantastic footage. As a 'younger' chap, didnt get to see the Mirage, and Camberra in full flight and sounds. This is great stuff for me.
I was fortunate to see the CAC Sabre though, the restored one from Temora. It was at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria his year.
I do have heaps of pics though of them, as at the Museum they have hangars full of them, but sounds are better. Not as good as seeing it yourself, but this is the next best thing.
Fantastic footage. As a 'younger' chap, didnt get to see the Mirage, and Camberra in full flight and sounds. This is great stuff for me.
I was fortunate to see the CAC Sabre though, the restored one from Temora. It was at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria his year.
I do have heaps of pics though of them, as at the Museum they have hangars full of them, but sounds are better. Not as good as seeing it yourself, but this is the next best thing.
I was a RAAF ATC in Darwin and love the Mirage 111. Such a ballsy aircraft. Unfortunately a pilot died while I was there and I saw 2 crash. Not the safest!
@gomer1873 I was in Darwin for the Queens Birthday weekend. Went out to the Aviation Heritage Museum and had a good look at the Mirage wreck that they have there. Interesting. Not a lot of wing for such a performer.
I just looked at the Heritage website and A3-36 is JQ's (John Quaife) which banged out on left base with a compressor stall. I saw it splash down in the mudflats while the other tower controller watched JQ float down. He got picked up 5 min later by the SAR chopper. It landed very flat so, although not flyable, makes a great static display.
Primo footage... been waiting along time to see footage from Amberley 86 to be honest its the first time and for you to show the french lady was even better, job well done my friend keep the videos coming,big fan of the RAAF Mirage.
Thanks for the kind words. When I shot them I never intended that they end up here (of course "here" didn't exist then anyway). I'll review my footage to see if i can make anything else worth seeing. Maybe P3 Orion and C133 Herc.
i'm glad you called her the 'french lady' i posted a comment on another Mirage III vid on here and some guy took it as an insult...suggesting that i was calling the mirage inferior or something.
My Dad flew these and Macchis in the Roulettes.
Reckons it was amazing but a single engine fighter is not what Australia needed and same applys to the F-35.
gnarkillkicksass 1 day ago
why did the Aussies buy a French aircraft?
LordGeorgeRodney 3 months ago
@LordGeorgeRodney . Well, really because she was very nice. Yep, the initial short list did include the F104 Starfighter and the EE Lightning as well as the Mirage 111E as a replacement for the Sabre. Came back to between the F104 and the Mirage. F104 was too much a "missile with a man in it" for the Australian needs. and the pilots test flying the Mirage agreed that it was very nice to fly (ever heard that about a US century fighter?) Check the Stuart Wilson book for more on the story.
planesounds 3 months ago
Comment removed
LordGeorgeRodney 3 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@planesounds should have gone for the Harrier chum we made mincemeat of the Mirage in the Falklands
Not one Harrier was lost to Mirage whilst Harrier shot the shit out of the Mirage & Nesher even though it was faster!
shame... real shame
Australia's biggest blunder.. EVER.
Should have also bought British and yeah EE Lightning would have outclassed this plane as well.
big shame
LordGeorgeRodney 3 months ago
@LordGeorgeRodney I can understand your preference for the Harrier, but at that time it was little more than the "bedstead", okay, 1127. The perceived user profile in Australia is vastly different to any European theatre and very few combat aircraft are actually suitable for either tactical or strategic purposes here. Typically we need aircraft that have performance similar to the just retired F111. check that range and speed ability and you won't find much that can equal it.
planesounds 3 months ago
@LordGeorgeRodney at least it was good!
j0noStrIk3r 2 weeks ago
I was at the RAAF Edinburgh airshow in '86 (posted to ARDU) and can't remember the 50 metre sound barrier "thing", but do recall that the sound barrier was broken sometime by an ARDU Mirage trying to keep up with the pattern. I do recall that a lot of compo claims were put in for broken glass houses and cracked walls. BTW, the Mirages were pretty well worn out by '86 - there were a lot of crashes and indeed ARDU lost a mirage I think that year.
textasniffa 7 months ago
@textasniffa Thanks for the comment. It's true that the "spirit" of the old days did bring a price. And as you say, the reality is that the aircraft do wear out.
planesounds 7 months ago
Love the Mirages, and that "crackly" turbojet.
I saw the "miracles" mirage aerobatic team at Richmond airshow in the 70's.
Sex in the sky.
und13s 8 months ago
by far the best fly by i ever saw was one by a P3C orion believe it or not. at low level, over the anzac day march. fast?- you betchya. amazingly so. didnt realise how bloody fast those things are..
rcaddict72 1 year ago
i was there in '86 at raaf edinburgh when the mirage "slipped" through the sound barrier at about 50m off the deck. felt the shockwaves from about 800m away. deltas are sexy aircraft..the mirage iiio especially so.
rcaddict72 1 year ago
@rcaddict72 You don't know how lucky you were (or maybe you do). :-) I've heard that they have an airshow in Durban (yes, South Africa) where an EE Lightning has been known to crack the sound barrier!! I think that's worth attending soon.
planesounds 1 year ago
@planesounds ...at the time i didnt realise it..i was looking around at others and saying "i think that was a sonic boom!"...they al were "i think it was too!"...lol..we were all bewildered. the only way i could describe it was that it was like putting my head to the other side of a big bass drum and having someone hit it TWICE on the other side. there were two distinctive booms. about a quarter of a second apart.
rcaddict72 1 year ago
I was there that day - probably the fastest fly-by I've seen!
Jongman325 1 year ago
@Jongman325 I do have a separate recording on cassette of one such fly-by and yes, it's quick!
planesounds 1 year ago
@planesounds I think it was the "opening" fly-past - not many people even saw him coming!
Jongman325 1 year ago
@Jongman325 Came from behind?
planesounds 1 year ago
@planesounds Not 100% sure on that!
Jongman325 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Fantastic footage. As a 'younger' chap, didnt get to see the Mirage, and Camberra in full flight and sounds. This is great stuff for me.
I was fortunate to see the CAC Sabre though, the restored one from Temora. It was at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria his year.
I do have heaps of pics though of them, as at the Museum they have hangars full of them, but sounds are better. Not as good as seeing it yourself, but this is the next best thing.
TheDavogunner 1 year ago
Fantastic footage. As a 'younger' chap, didnt get to see the Mirage, and Camberra in full flight and sounds. This is great stuff for me.
I was fortunate to see the CAC Sabre though, the restored one from Temora. It was at the RAAF Museum, Point Cook, Victoria his year.
I do have heaps of pics though of them, as at the Museum they have hangars full of them, but sounds are better. Not as good as seeing it yourself, but this is the next best thing.
TheDavogunner 1 year ago
Comment removed
gomer1873 1 year ago
I was a RAAF ATC in Darwin and love the Mirage 111. Such a ballsy aircraft. Unfortunately a pilot died while I was there and I saw 2 crash. Not the safest!
gomer1873 1 year ago
@gomer1873 I was in Darwin for the Queens Birthday weekend. Went out to the Aviation Heritage Museum and had a good look at the Mirage wreck that they have there. Interesting. Not a lot of wing for such a performer.
planesounds 1 year ago
@planesounds
I just looked at the Heritage website and A3-36 is JQ's (John Quaife) which banged out on left base with a compressor stall. I saw it splash down in the mudflats while the other tower controller watched JQ float down. He got picked up 5 min later by the SAR chopper. It landed very flat so, although not flyable, makes a great static display.
gomer1873 1 year ago
@planesounds i got chased by an angry lizard guarding it..lol..
rcaddict72 1 year ago
Primo footage... been waiting along time to see footage from Amberley 86 to be honest its the first time and for you to show the french lady was even better, job well done my friend keep the videos coming,big fan of the RAAF Mirage.
raafboy 2 years ago
Thanks for the kind words. When I shot them I never intended that they end up here (of course "here" didn't exist then anyway). I'll review my footage to see if i can make anything else worth seeing. Maybe P3 Orion and C133 Herc.
planesounds 2 years ago
@planesounds look forward to it, anything RAAF/RAN from the 80's is so rare and hard to find these days. Like I said great work and keep em coming.
raafboy 2 years ago
Thanks for chucking this vid up mate, hard to find much in the way of RAAF Mirage footage around youtube. Great aircraft, great footage.
MudRat02 2 years ago
@raafboy
i'm glad you called her the 'french lady' i posted a comment on another Mirage III vid on here and some guy took it as an insult...suggesting that i was calling the mirage inferior or something.
juzzi07 1 year ago
Ahh the mighty Mirage , 5 stars.....That take off was sweeet....Miss our Miracle's :) especially in the "fanta can" colours
a8127 2 years ago