Riverfire goers: change to F-111 flightpaths?
The RAAF F-111's did their "practice run" this afternoon, in preparation for the main event tomorrow night. However, they seem to be doing things differently to previous years.
In all previous years that I've been to Riverfire, the F-111's (or the single F-111, in years such as 2005 where only one has participated) have invariably approached from the south. In today's practice run, the F-111 flying along the South Bank stretch of the river approached from the north, whereas the F-111 flying along the Eagle St stretch of the river approached from the south as normal.
Assuming that this pattern repeats itself tomorrow night, people on the South Bank stretch of the river (that is, on the western side of the CBD) should watch for an F-111 approaching from the north. If, like me, you were expecting both aircraft to approach from the south, you may be looking in the wrong direction.
Photographers (such as myself -- the photos in my previous posting on Riverfire were taken by yours truly) wanting to capture the event should consider their choice of location, framing, and timing accordingly. Taking this shot as an example, it wouldn't look anywhere near as good with the aircraft approaching from the north -- because of the pull-up manoeuvre, it would have passed out of the top of the frame before it got even half-way across.
People in South Bank apartments will no longer have the F-111's passing low overhead, but people around the North Quay end of town will be in for a louder than normal experience.
[If anyone has a house, apartment, or hotel room with a balcony with a good view, and they don't mind me gate-crashing, email me! Free enlargements available!]
In all previous years that I've been to Riverfire, the F-111's (or the single F-111, in years such as 2005 where only one has participated) have invariably approached from the south. In today's practice run, the F-111 flying along the South Bank stretch of the river approached from the north, whereas the F-111 flying along the Eagle St stretch of the river approached from the south as normal.
Assuming that this pattern repeats itself tomorrow night, people on the South Bank stretch of the river (that is, on the western side of the CBD) should watch for an F-111 approaching from the north. If, like me, you were expecting both aircraft to approach from the south, you may be looking in the wrong direction.
Photographers (such as myself -- the photos in my previous posting on Riverfire were taken by yours truly) wanting to capture the event should consider their choice of location, framing, and timing accordingly. Taking this shot as an example, it wouldn't look anywhere near as good with the aircraft approaching from the north -- because of the pull-up manoeuvre, it would have passed out of the top of the frame before it got even half-way across.
People in South Bank apartments will no longer have the F-111's passing low overhead, but people around the North Quay end of town will be in for a louder than normal experience.
[If anyone has a house, apartment, or hotel room with a balcony with a good view, and they don't mind me gate-crashing, email me! Free enlargements available!]
Leave a comment