Debrief

There was some funding to aid security upgrades at a few regional ports, but nothing to offset soaring fuel costs and the rising cost of keeping ageing aircraft going.

One of the Australian airlines’ biggest competitive disadvantages compared to competitors such as Singapore Airlines is aircraft taxation depreciation, which was left untouched. This in effect helps to ‘offshore’ airline jobs.

Aviation White Paper

Of the many facets to be touched by government’s National Aviation Policy Statement (or white paper) process, three topics stand out.

The number one issue is the artificially capacity constrained enigma that is Sydney Airport and the consideration of a second Sydney airport.

Secondly, with Labor governments avid privatisers of transport infrastructure, there must be rigid opposition to any moves to privatise the air traffic control portion of Airservices Australia. Civil ATC is the vast bulk of the national air traffic control system, which in wartime would become part of the national air defence and traffic handling system, and as such should never fall into commercial or foreign hands.

Thirdly, the airfields of northern Australia that would be essential in any war or major disaster should be returned to Commonwealth control. Now run down due to a lack of commercial viability and the loss of air services, when Commonwealth owned aerodromes they were maintained to licensed standards. They were subject to condition reporting and a NOTAM service, and where necessary were maintained by the former DCA Mobile Maintenance Units.

Replacing The Caribou – A Continuing Series

It’s interesting to note reports of the re-emergence of the EADS CASA C-295 as a serious contender, along with the erstwhile frontrunner the Alenia C-27J Spartan, as a potential Caribou replacement.

Looking longer term, if the RAAF elects to replace all its C-130H/Js with Airbus A400Ms, as some have advocated, the C-27J loses one of its biggest advantages – commonality of load size and engines/avionics with the C-130J.

Consider two bottom lines, STOL performance and uplift capability. Using publicly available data, STOL landing distances from 50ft are C-27J 690m, C-295 774m, and Caribou 376m.

Uplift weights go in max takeoff weight order but since the C-130 was designed the Australian Army has been acquiring a family of new tracked or wheeled vehicles, the upgraded M113 APC, ASLAVs, Bushmasters and Perentie 4WDs.

Published data, if correct, indicates that the C-295 can’t load most Perenties, the C-27J some. The C-130, A400M and C-17 can load the lot including – although reportedly not C-130s – the ASLAV with bar armour fitted. If neither Caribou contender can load anything above some Perenties perhaps there is a stronger case for more larger types that can lift all the vehicles (and a mobile gun?) fully kitted at operational weights, ie primarily a C-17 and A400M airlift force (the latter fitted with air-to-air refuelling kits) and fewer of a lighter type.

Whatever we get must excel long term in the unstable arc from Timor through PNG to Fiji, and in our own remote north, characterised by a paucity of good airstrips, ports, road or rail systems. But neither the C-27J or C-295 can go all places the Caribou can.

The C‑27J has a weight, hold width (slight) and height edge over the C-295, which has a floor area and volume edge. If airlift of the new vehicles now rules maybe there isn’t much between the Caribou hopefuls.

The last 707

Does the RAAF’s last Boeing 707, A20-624 Richmond Town, have to be sold off? Assuming it can’t be put on display at the RAAF Museum at Point Cook, or another suitable RAAF site after its June 30 retirement, why doesn’t the government gift it to the Qantas Founders Outback Museum in Longreach? There Richmond Town, the ex VH-EAD with Qantas, could go on display with its shorter fuselage brethren, VH‑XBA/ EBA, the historic first 707 to be built for Qantas which arrived at Longreach in 2007.

(Incidentally both VH-EBA and VH-EAD were named City of Melbourne in Qantas service – EAD was later renamed City of Newcastle and then City of Ballarat. ) Beyond being an ex Qantas aircraft, A20-624’s Qantas links continued, as for many years Qantas was responsible for RAAF 707 heavy maintenance.

Inside, A20-624 could be displayed in its combi passenger/freight configuration, something its KC-30 successor (minus a side cargo door and strengthened freight floor) is not fully capable of. Perhaps it could incorporate an interactive inflight refuelling computer game similar to those at the Royal Air Force careers website – www. rafcareers.

com/altitude/games.

Central Queensland tourism would welcome the aircraft as a unique asset with open arms, and some federal government contributions towards its upkeep as a national exhibit would be entirely appropriate. o