Damn that’s an enormous aircraft :)

We discussed the interview with the crew and one of the junior pilots was “volunteered” for it (the chain of command in action :) After a few discussions outside and some establishing shots, we put our earplugs in and they fired up the APU (very noisy). First up the nose was opened, lifting up over the cockpit and looking very much like a Great White Shark about to bite. The ramp was extended in stages with crew walking around to check everything was deploying correctly. Naturally, this started to draw a bit of a crowd at the public fence area.

Once the nose ramp was fully deployed we moved around to the tail where it was even noisier. A huge panel at the rear moved up and a pair of doors opened outwards. Once again a massive ramp slowly extended itself in stages, although this time there were a few problems with getting the rubber mats at the very end to sit right (typical that it would happen while filming). Apparently the rear ramp can be opened during flight but they don’t do that much any more.

Once everything was opened up and the APU shut down, we moved into the cargo hold and started the interview. Most of the crew sat around enjoying the show, heckling when the camera wasn’t running. We had a few interruptions as a RAAF F18 landed and taxied back, then the KC135 fired up its APU so it could extend its boom.

Eventually we moved upstairs to film the cockpit and crew space then complete the interview up there. I managed to get some shots out one of the escape doors and the hatch up on top. We also went back into the “passenger” area, a separate compartment between the wing & tail upstairs. This area is where any troops or specialists that may be travelling with a load will spend the flight (facing backwards). We were also shown the tail structure that’s above and behind the rear ramp. This area is unpressurised in flight and is bigger than the cargo hold of a C130. Wow!

The C5 Galaxy is definitely a HUGE aircraft and it was great to go clambering all over it. I’ve loaded the photos I took into the C5 Galaxy album in the gallery. A few will also make it into the Avalon 2009 album.

What a freakin’ incredible piece of equipment the F35 is!

First up, there’s no HUD. All the information from the HUD is displayed on the pilot’s helmet, along with plenty of other information as required. The helmet’s movements are tracked and the displays adjust accordingly.

The main panel consists of two large LCD displays that appear almost as one. The panel can show any of the multiple information screens in any combination of sizes and positions with the pilot touching points on the screens to resize them, move them around and so on. There is a constant one inch high band across the top of the panel that has the information screens represented in miniature (with other information as well). Just touching one of the representations brings that screen up on the panel.

When a pilot enters the aircraft, they slot a mission cartridge into the system that contains information about the mission, munitions and the pilot’s default preferences for screen layouts. So, when the pilot turns the aircraft on, everything they like is all ready to go for them.

Throw in the sensor suite that includes infra-red cameras around the aircraft and you have an amazingly powerful real world display. In addition to showing on the panel, the sensor suite’s information can be displayed on the pilot’s helmet. Combine this with the movement tracker and the pilot can see a synthetic vision view of the world around them – like looking *through* the cockpit floor, wings, weather, etc. Simply amazing.

Being the IT geek I am (as well as an aviation geek), I was drooling at how well this interface worked. As if that weren’t enough, though, we were also shown how the computerised flight controls made it a LOT easier to focus on WHAT a pilot is doing rather than HOW they are doing it.

Say the pilot wants to initiate a 50 degree climb – they use the side-stick to put the nose where they want, set the throttle and then let go. The computers will keep the aircraft going where the pilot’s said. Total no brainer. The system takes the developments of the past decades and brings them into one incredible package.

There was, of course, more to it than this but I was still reeling from what I’d seen in front of me. I would have loved to jump in and go through the demo routine but we’d already been in there two hours and Carlo & Fletch had both had goes, so I didn’t want to overstay our welcome.

I’ve loaded some of the photos I took inside the simulator room into the F35 demo album on the gallery. Other photos from my two days at Avalon are also being uploaded into the Avalon Airshow 2009 album. Enjoy :)

I’ve also been editing photos before I can upload them. I’m not someone who can just slam the raw pix up online. I like to weed out a few first, plus edit those that need lighting towers removed (the bane of any airport photographer’s existance :) or any other gear like mobile lighting rigs, etc.

I’m getting there and the first few have been uploaded into the Avalon Airshow 2009 album on my flying gallery. I’ll upload more as time permits and post on the blog when it happens. I’ll also get around to posting what I got up to on the two days I was onsite along with other thoughts about the airshow.

Our route from Melbourne to Yarra Glen took us right past the airport (the road goes just south of the threshold of RW36) and after some frantic looking between the road and the airport, I did confirm the presence of a good lineup of aircraft. After getting Kitt to the meeting point and seeing her off with the other ladies (note: Hen’s parties are SCARY!) I ran a quick errand and then high-tailed it back to the airport.

On arrival I noted that there was no one taking the entry fee so I figured it must be getting close to the end of the day (it was 3pm by the time I got there). I walked in and started checking out the aircraft on display. The announcer was talking about Dick Hourigan’s Mustang (a license built and slightly modified P-51 manufactured in Australia during WWII) which was in the process of taxiing out to take off. Last time I saw this Mustang was at the 2002 Albury Airshow (scroll down the linked page to see photos of it) and it sounded great just taxiing in the distance. I didn’t bother with photos as I figured I’d get them when he came back in so I just enjoyed the take off. He did a low downwind pass then came back around a bit faster (and was that a tad lower?) for the upwind pass. Damn I love the sound of a Merlin! After that pass he left the area (which seemed to surprise the announcer a little) and that was the official end of the show.

Just as I was wondering who I’d have to talk with to get onto the flight line for some good photos, I realised that they’d dropped the barriers and we were allowed out with the aircraft. Wow. You have to appreciate that.

There was a huge line up to check out the Soko G2A “Galeb”, a Yugoslavian jet trainer that’s designed to operate from grass runways. Still flying under its Yugoslavian registration, it certainly did draw a crowd. As the only jet aircraft there it was like being the prettiest girl at the dance. Most people wanted to get their photo in the rear cockpit (mostly kids) and the pilot was on the wing helping them out. I managed to get some shots in the front cockpit and had a quick chat with pilot while this was going on. He’s been invited to the Avalon Airshow which is great as he’ll probably be parked on the warbirds tarmac where I’ll be working. Excellent!

I’ve loaded the photos I took into my photo gallery for you to enjoy. There were a number of aircraft there, including at least 3 Yaks. I just wish I’d grabbed a couple of shots of the Mustang in flight – oh well, maybe it’ll be at Avalon along with a few others like the 2007 show.

Some of the aircraft on display included:

• American Champion Super Decathlon (VH-JIR)
• Auster J1N (VH-SAH)
• CA18 Mustang
• CA22 Winjeel (VH-EDA)
• Cassutt Racer (VH-MXA)
• Cessna 206P (VH-TCZ)
• Cessna 337A (VH-NFW)
• Extra 300S (VH-XTR)
• Pacific Aerospace CT4A (VH-CTV)
• Piper PA22 (VH-RDB)
• Stinson L5B (VH-CDF)
• Soko G2A “Galeb” (YU-YEA)
• Yak 50 (VH-BYJ)
• Yak 52 x 3 (VH-RED, VH-YKK & VH-YLG)

There were other aircraft there, of course, including a few helicopters and lighties in the static area. After chatting with some of the folks working airside I headed out through the flight school to find out what the reason was for the airshow (“Oh, we just do them now and then”). After a quick chat I returned to the car and spent the rest of the afternoon hanging out with a friend who flies for Global Ballooning. We sat on his veranda and chatted as the afternoon drew to a close and a light aircraft practised aerobatics overhead. Not a bad way to spend a few hours.