Marc Joel Atrero

The challenges of operating the F-111 On the eve of the F-111’s withdrawal from service, the commander of ACG, AIRCDRE Mel Hupfeld, the outgoing commanding officer of 6SQN, WGCDR Micka Gray, and senior engineering officer (SENGO) of 6SQN, SQNLDR Peter O’Donnell spoke to Australian Aviation about what it’s been like to fly against, to fly

F-111 in RAAF service When F-111C A8-125 callsign ‘Sabre Two’, crewed by FLTLT Andrew ‘Klo’ Kloeden and 6SQN commanding officer WGCDR Michael ‘Micka’ Gray, touched down on Amberley’s Runway 33 at 1.22pm on December 3, it brought to a close more than 37 years of RAAF F-111 operations. The event was witnessed by current and

The QF32 catastrophic uncontained failure The catastrophic uncontained failure of Qantas flight QF32’s number 2 Rolls-Royce Trent 972 engine after takeoff from Singapore on November 4 was almost of Titanic scale. A380-842 VH-OQA was the first of Qantas’s Airbus A380s – the largest, most powerful commercial jet in the world. This content is available exclusively

Perth Airport unveils new major extension plans In a long overdue move Westralia Airports Corporation (WAC), leaseholder of Perth Airport, is to spend $500 million over three years on new terminals and services so that the airport can handle growth fuelled by the resources boom and low cost airlines. Work will commence in 2011 on

Will Boeing follow Airbus’s re-engining lead? In early December Airbus ended almost 12 months of speculation and applied the blowtorch to Boeing by launching as an option the re-engine of the A320 Family (but not the A318) with either the CFM International LEAP-X or Pratt & Whitney’s PurePower PW1100G geared turbofan, reigniting the ‘sporty game’.

Six decades of NZ aerial topdressing October saw the city of Gisborne recognise six decades of New Zealand agricultural aviation centred on Lawson Field, founder of Fieldair. Fieldair operated 19 DHC‑2 Beavers as well as six L-18 Loadstars and 12 DC-3s carrying out aerial topdressing. This content is available exclusively to Australian Aviation members. Login