| Accession Number | F00433 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Film |
| Measurement | 8 min 28 sec |
| Object type | To be confirmed |
| Physical description | 16mm/colour (Ektachrome)/sound |
| Maker |
Australian Broadcasting Commission |
| Place made | Australia: New South Wales, Nowra |
| Date made | c 1975 |
| Conflict |
Period 1970-1979 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Unlicensed copyright |
805 Squadron Navy flyers ABC TDT
Description
Item on RAN Fleet Arm Arm's 805 Squadron from the ABC current affairs program This Day Tonight (TDT). 805 Squadron flew the McDonnell Douglas A-4G Skyhawk fighter bomber. The Skyhawk pilots are interviewed on camera about carrier operations and accidents. Also briefly gives a history of 805 Squadron showing footage of Sea Fury and Sea Venom aircraft. Aerials of Skyhawks and landing at HMAS Albatross and on the aircraft carrier HMAS Melbourne. Pilots interviewed talk about the dangers and the adrenalin rush of landing a jet aircraft on a carrier at sea. Commodore Andrew Robertson defends the Skyhawk's record of 4 crashes with 2 pilots killed in 8 years of service. He also briefly details the training schedule a pilot has to undergo before he is ready for carrier operations. Narrator states that Skyhawk's accident rate is 7 per 10,000 hours compared with 50 per 10,000 hours for the Sea Fury and 18 per 10,000 for the Sea Venom.