RAAF Fairbairn

While we are on the topic of base aerial photos we also have a "Phantom Phot" of RAAF Fairbairn.

He writes:

I have a larger copy of the photo which you can request from me at brendan.cowan@adf-serials.com.au .

Cheers

BC

Attached Image

A fair bit has changed... thanks to the new owners...

I'm curious about the statement about Iroquois wrecks being dumped and burnt in 1989/1990. Doesn't seem right to me, from memory the last Cat 5 was A2-486 in 1986 and I'm pretty sure it went to Oakey as a training aid. Maybe they're talking about some B Model wrecks in the 60s...

Rod

I was there at 34SQN at the time and don't recall any Iroquois being burned. Also the fire dump/firies burn pad is at the bottom right of the picture. If the there had been burning in the other direction it would have been noticed from the flight line huts and presumed an aircraft emergency since that is here the 5SQN/Helo School practiced their landings.

Phantom's right of reply:

The burn pit is at the TOP LEFT of the picture behind Facilities Flight, the "condos"
and the Airmans mess and on the way to "The Barn" in the same paddock that
horses were allowed to be held by serving members for agisment and in the same paddock where if I remember rightly the tarmac sweeper
was emptied in the mornings.

The 'Doggies" Sect is at the bottom right of the picture after passing through the
golf course.

I was in Facilities Flight, and it was part of my daily job to take the various types of
rubbish to it, that is everything from garden waste, cardboard boxes, all sorts of
stuff.
Therefore I should know where the burn PIT is/was.

And there was two pits, one for "hard" waste (metal and the like) and one for
general waste, as one was filled up it was covered over and a new pit dug
adjacent to the full one.

As for seeing the Iroquois in the burn pit, I have no photos, so it didn't happen,
so I guess the all the U/S skids and other sorts of things that got thrown in the hard pit and driven over didn't happen either.

I have never said it was a complete "frame, just a chunk, that is part of the nose and a part of the roof

Attached Image

and finally a close up of the pits.

My personal comment;
It seems we have an eye witness account of Iroquois wreckage being dumped there so the issue should be which aircraft was it rather than disputing the authenticity of the report.

Attached Image

The pits are still evident in the latest Near Maps images

Attached Image

Fair enough, I confused the 'burn pits' with the Firies burn pad new the runway where they did their practices

Sorry about the confusion

Looks like the fire is out now!

:D

BC