http://www.news.com.au/story/0,10117,19829851-29277,00.html

The jet, which has been circling for some hours after damaging its undercarriage on takeoff, is understood to be trying to attempt an aircraft-carrier-style landing.

That is expected to involve using arresting wires strung across the runway and designed to rapidly slow the plane.

The strike jet, based at RAAF Amberley, lost one of its wheels on takeoff and has been circling at high altitude before attempting to land.

nice belly landing

lol what! it circled for 4 hours to burn off fuel.... why not dump n burn?

the one chance they get to use the dump and burn for its actual purpose and they dont do it! the poor pilot having to sweat it out for 4 hours! wd to him.

dump and burn after hitting the piss night before

My gf was out there for an infomation day for the airforce. She said it was quite funny. Tops to the pilot.

She said it was quite funny.

I'm sure it was hilarious.... until the guy lived.

Pretty impressive footage on the news of the landing, props to the dude (pilot is only 22!) for getting it down in mostly one piece... mostly.

(pilot is only 22!)

I think the Yanks start fighter training at 19. Some guys are flying F18's at 21, that's like giving the keys to a $75 million ferrari with 30,000 horses under the bonnet. I'd hate to see the insurance premium! ;)

watched it live. some intense s***.

A guy in my ice hockey team is that age in the RAAF and only just started flying the jets recently! (As of a few weeks ago he told us).

Apparently the pilot according the news [Or so Rubba brought this to my attentoin I didnt hear this part about it] this pilot had only been flying the planes for a few weeks or something?

I wonder if it's him, going to have to find out!
Doubting it is but it seems very co-incidental!

Highly doubting the press knew the pilots name/released it? Would know for sure then.

last edited by Loki at 23:29:03 18/Jul/06

link to video?

Yeah,
That clips worthy of my Mayhem folder



Hey wait, just as I .. wtf?
I hit a combo of keys just then as I was trying to ctrl end & shift across words an I hit a shortcut that put in bold headers

What the hell was that? ??

mp3.news.com.au/bcm/f111.wmv

And here's a pic or five http://users.on.net/scuzzy/F111/

anyone know whats underneath the ground to unspool the cable to stop the plane nice and gently like that?

oo spose its the same sort of system used on carriers...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrestor_wires

last edited by scooby at 17:00:47 20/Jul/06

yea a mate at work said his dad works there and was walking past the door when he saw the wheel roll past outside. he was like wtf.

all the men went outside to watch it roll down the path a long way, and it ended up kept going straight into a nice car and wrote it off apparently. :S.

they then rang air traffic control who had no idea the wheel had fallen off, they got busy quickly.