Top guns hit their straps in new jets
THE sound of fighter jets have been ringing out across the city, as the ‘next-gen’ F-35s continue to fly around the region.
And locals will have a show put on for them this Thursday, as pilots put the jets through their paces over the water at Thestrand.
Pilots from No. 81 Wing will be in the cockpits of their jets, with others from the unit mingling with locals and talkingto them about career opportunities on offer, as the planes dazzle crowds.
Wing Commander and acting senior Australian Defence Force officer at RAAF base Townsville Paul Howard said the chance to meetwith the pilots of the hi-tech aircraft was ‘very significant’ for the region.
“It’s a great opportunity to have the F-35 here to showcase the wonderful careers in the defence force and in particular,within the air force,” Wing Commander Howard said.
“The interesting thing is to see the F-35s flying … and generate an interest for those people who wish to join the RAAF inparticular.”
While the pilots have been sent up from the New South Wales base in Williamstown while nearby facilities undergo repairs,plenty of Townsville based crews will be working to ensure the planes take off in the best conditions possible.
Tim Ireland, commanding officer of No. 77 squadron, said his pilots had been eager to bring planes to the North.
“We came to Northern Queensland because it offers the best training ranges available to us,” CO Tim Ireland said.
“We’ll be here to the end of July and we’ll be conducting air-to-air and air-to-surface combat roles, both out to the Northeastover water, and to the West over land.”
Townsville’s envious status for training runs will match up with a plane that Ireland said is the ‘best fighter in the world’.
“The F-35 is our newest line of aircraft. It’s a fifth-generation fighter, which means that has stealth characteristics, andadvanced sensors,” CO Ireland said.
“F-35s have greater survivability across a number of roles. They give us a unique ability to project power into places otherplatforms can’t. The top speed is about 1.6 mach, about 700 knots, we regularly fly up to those limits.”
The demonstration and meet and greet session will take place on The Strand on Thursday, July 21 from 4.30pm.