OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Back in 1993 we hauled about half a dozen of these planes off the run way at Biadoa in Somalia, to make room for the Australian armed forces. A huge warehouse also stored a collection of rollsroyce jet engines. I remember pushing a complete jet engine on a purpose built trolley across the warehouse and flipped it out the back of the warhouse into the mud. it was later dragged into a pile. The jets were pushed into the bush and left there. They would still be there today. Maybe one day someone might go there and collect them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 This is a side by side seat trainer. Behind it was a standard fighter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 The damage to the front of the plane was caused by an American Amtrak pushing it out of the bomb bays and into the position that they are in now. They were mostly complete, save for whatever Australian and US troops could souvenir. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 crikey heartbreaking that ! Somalia's a bit far to set off to with a trailer behind my old Series 2 though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 I just did a search on Google earth and couldnt see these planes! They must have been collected for scrap metal. The biadoa airfield is very visible and even the bomb bays, but the planes are now clearly gone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RattlesnakeBob Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Just had a mooch too and the whole airfield looks a bit derelict ?....is it in use by anyone now ? friendly or not ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeePig Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 There is a picture of a light aircraft there, wouldn't like to define it as friendly or not. Can't see no big warehouse there now. trevor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 I think some international aid agencies land there! You would want to land on a good day though, because a bad day is very bad. Long gone are the rows of military tents, the unloading of Hercules cargo planes and cobra gunships! As you stated, nothing but derelict buildings and stunted bushes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 There is a picture of a light aircraft there, wouldn't like to define it as friendly or not. Can't see no big warehouse there now. trevor Yes, I find that really strange too! you can see the warehouse in the photo behind the Hawker, yet on Google earth its not there. It was on the Western side of the airport. The Somalis must have knocked it down and taken every block away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted July 18, 2014 Author Share Posted July 18, 2014 I think some international aid agencies land there! You would want to land on a good day though, because a bad day is very bad. Long gone are the rows of military tents, the unloading of Hercules cargo planes and cobra gunships! As you stated, nothing but derelict buildings and stunted bushes. If you look at the photo with the watch tower in it, I have attached a google earth photo with an arrow showing exactly where that tower was. The black lines that I have drawn in are where the tents were. If you look at the photo, the road that looks like a stick man, is actually aircraft bomb bays. The photo of the two hawkers was taken beside one of those bomb bays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodsmoke7 Posted July 18, 2014 Share Posted July 18, 2014 Plenty of hunters about, spares would of been nice thow. Royal navy even pulled a couple out of storage and used them as target tugs not so many years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAFMT Posted July 21, 2014 Share Posted July 21, 2014 Loads of Hunters about, Lebanon recently returned theirs to service. Hawker Hunter Aviation at Scampton fly them for the RAF in use for what I believe is termed "dissimilar air combat training". In other words, the next Banana Republic or Handy Oil Source nation we invade will be equipped with stuff of a similar vintage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Glasser Posted August 1, 2014 Share Posted August 1, 2014 OZITIM, could I copy the photos' of the Hunters to re post them in the Hawker Hunter Appreciation society group on FB? Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZITIM Posted August 3, 2014 Author Share Posted August 3, 2014 OZITIM, could I copy the photos' of the Hunters to re post them in the Hawker Hunter Appreciation society group on FB? Jeff Any of the photos I post, I am happy for anyone to use. I will see if I can dig up some more. Regards, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Glasser Posted August 4, 2014 Share Posted August 4, 2014 Thanks very much Tim. Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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