Boys and their Toys

I love planes! My face says it all.

WARNING: This blog update talks about things girls don't get.

Ever since i can remember i have always loved planes. Growing up in East Keilor meant living under the approach path for Melbourne Airport and ever since i can remember the sight and sounds of planes has had a mesmerising effect on me. I could be standing out in the middle of the backyard hanging out the washing when the sound of a Qantas Jumbo Jet starts to rumble over our neighbourhood yet even though i have seen that flying kangaroo thousands of times it still an amazing feeling see how such a large piece of machinery can get off the ground. I love airports (except for Macau and the overpriced rubbish food at Saigon Airport) and i have always looked up and thought about the people on those planes above my house and wondered where they are coming from or where they are going to.

So for the past hmmm 10 years now dad I have made our way down to Avalon Airport to see the Australian International Air Show. I didn't go in 2005 but dad was nice enough to send a copy of the programme and a souvinier to Hong Kong which i read from cover to cover. So after a 4 year absence i was back and looking forward to once again looking skyward and seeing the amazing thrill of super fast F/A 18 Hornets fly past us at 1000 kilometers an hour and just listen to the almighty roar when passing through the speed of sound.

I'd love to say i took this pic but i didn't. It's the F-111's classic "Dump and Burn"

The day didn't start off to well as i was feeling a bit seedy from the night before. It was my workmates birthday and a good night was had by all but as much as they wanted me to kick on and continue the party i had to tell them that jets flying past your head isn't the best way to recover from a hangover. So i pulled the plug and went home about 1.30am Sunday morning and we (Dad, Chris and I) were on our way at 8.00am only to find that the morons in the transpoirt deparment had closed 2 of the three lanes of one of the freeways leading to Avalon. What moron would be stupid enough to close two lanes on a day where they know that tens of thousands of people are going to use that road? Obviously Melbourne has the title of worst logistical management city all stiched up.

As we meandered along and i finished digesting a pretty damn fine post party brekky of a couple of Macca's McMuffins, the traffic started to ease up and bit and we were flying towards Avalon. Parking was a bastard this time around as our Gold Passes didn't have their own parking areas like last time which meant we parked with the rest of the plebs. Throughout the day there were plenty of classic planes ranging from the P-51 Mustang....blah blah blah you say. Well i love seeing the fighter jets especially the F-111 and the F/A 18 Hornet. I just love the sound of those engines roaring past (which will be on multiply in the next couple of days) and trying to take photos with a little digital camera is bloody tough. This caused great laughs for Dad and Chris as they were watching me trying to take a picture of a military strike fighter going like the clappers and not getting anything in the shot except a little blurrly thing and sunshine.

What makes it worse is that the plane geeks all around us had massive zooms on their cameras. When i go to the airshow i want me eardrums to be pleading for me to stick anything in them to make the noise go away. I get so excited by the roar of the engines that i think outside of little kiddies and the elderly you should try and appreciate the sounds of these massive engines.Then again i didn't wear headphones like this guy. He's soft in my books...very soft.

Soft.

During a small walk around the backlot i got close up with helicopters and some of the larger American aircraft which leads me to my next point. At these airshows there is a strong American contingent as they provide "for our viewing pleasure" some of the world's most technologically advanced aircraft. With that they also have someone (usually part of the flight crew) talking about the plane and the demonstration that the plane will be showing the public. During the display of the F-15 Eagle the commentator talked about how in "Desert Storm" (the first one) the F-15 shot down 46 enemy aircraft. What got me about that is two things. 1) He said in such a way that it was a magnificent achievment but mate..you were fighting the Iraqi's which the last time i checked...didn't have the strongest airforce in the world. That's like pitting a Formula One car against a Lada in a drag race! 2) Even at the Airshow we couldn't get away from American flag waving. When the commentator talked about "all the brave men and women fighting the continuing war on terror" I just wanted to slap him and i think a fewof the crowd did as well.

Still at the end of the day and after trying to take too many photos and getting sunburnt, the three of us had a great day. It was great to be back at the Airshow and once again i camr away with the feeling of how much i love planes. Sure i don't think i'll have a private jet like John Travolta or have the chance to fly in the cockpit of an F/A 18-E Super Hornet but given half the chance i would jump at the chance. Flying to me means you are going somewhere, you are moving forward.

I like that feeling.