A89-281
Link to Part 1 - MAY62 to AUG71
This is Part 2 - OCT71 to SEP75
Link to Part 3 - OCT75 onwards
Type: L-726 Neptune P2V-7/SP-2H
Msn: 726-7281
Previous Identities:
| 04OCT71 | Departed on a marine exercise. |
| 07OCT71 | Carried out a photo exercise and message drop to people trying to salvage the abandoned WWII Airacobra aircraft situated on the NE edge of Cape York. |
| 10OCT71 | To Richmond to pick up personnel. |
| 14OCT71 | Flew a radex. |
| 20OCT71 | Flew a tacex. |
| 23NOV71 | Flew a navigation exercise to Port Moresby via Lae. On the return journey, the crew carried out a fishery surveillance, returning to Townsville on 24NOV. |
| 30NOV71 | Flew a marine exercise. |
| 06DEC71 | Flew a radex. |
| 07DEC71 | Flew a tacex. |
| 26DEC71 | To 2AD Richmond. |
| 21FEB72 | To 2AD Richmond for 'E' service. |
| 06JUN72 | Returned from Richmond after a major 'E' servicing. |
| 19JUL72 | Flew members of the inter-service golf team to Amberley. |
| 08AUG72 | To Port Moresby, returning the next day after a marine exercise. |
| 14AUG72 | With 3 other Neptunes departed for Richmond to take part in submarine exercise 'Tame Barbel', returning on 18AUG. |
| 30AUG72 | Flew on a marine exercise to Williamtown, returning the next day. |
| 07SEP72 | On a marex, flown by the CO. |
| 11SEP72 | To Edinburgh on a training sortie. Flew to Canberra on 12SEP, returning to Townsville via Richmond on 13SEP. |
| 19SEP72 | Flew a marex. |
| 22SEP72 | Flew a tacex. |
| 12OCT72 | A89-281, flown by the CO, with 3 other Neptunes and support personnel detached to USNAS Cubi Point, Republic of the Philippines for SEATO exercise 'Sea Scorpion'. Returned on 31OCT. |
| 10NOV72 | With A89-274 and crews and servicing personnel, detached to RNZAF base Whenuapai, New Zealand, to take part in NZ LONGEX 72. The aircraft travelled to NZ via Richmond. On 17NOV, A89-281 became unserviceable, and was replaced by A89-279. A89-281 returned to Townsville on 20NOV. |
| 28NOV72 | Flew a marex. |
| 30NOV72 | To Edinburgh, returning on 02DEC. |
| 07DEC72 | Flew a tacex. |
| 21FEB73 | Flew to Darwin with support personnel for Butterworth exercise as passengers. |
| 23FEB73 | Flew to Mt Isa for a check of the Mt Isa TACAN station. |
| 26FEB73 | Flew to Lae via Port Moresby on a survey exercise. |
| 04MAR73 | With 4 other Neptunes and support personnel departed for Richmond to take part in the submarine exercise 'Tame Grey Nurse', returning to Townsville on 08MAR. |
| 13MAR73 | To Amberley, returning the next day. The crew attended an aviation refresher course whilst at Amberley. |
| 15MAR73 | To Mt Isa on TACAN trials. |
| 26MAR73 | Flew a fishex/marex. |
| 31MAR73 | To Amberley and Richmond to be used in static displays during the 1973 air displays. |
| 11APR73 | Flew a navex. |
| 18APR73 | Conducted ROFAR trials during a marex. |
| 30APR73 | Departed for Port Moresby for re-fuelling and de-briefing before starting a search for the 40ft Government vessel "Langu", reported the day before to be in trouble in the Solomon Sea. A89-281 departed the search area at Ple, and was approaching Lae when advice came through that the vessel had made Rabaul under its own power. A89-281 returned to Townsville on 01MAY. |
| 18MAY73 | To Richmond and return. |
| 23MAY73 | Flew a radex. |
| 24MAY73 | Flew a radex. |
| 25MAY73 | Flew a radex. |
| 26MAY73 | Flew a casex with HMAS Ovens. |
| 29MAY73 | Flew a marex. |
| 31MAY73 | Flew with A89-270 to Darwin to take part in air exercise 'Blue Denim'. Surveillance and early warning sorties flown by both crews, returned to Townsville on 09JUN. |
| 11JUN73 | To Richmond with 3 other Neptunes for exercise 'Tame Shovel Nose'. During the exercise, a fly-off was held between 10 & 11 SQNS to choose an RAAF representative for the Fincastle Trophy competition. The fly-off crews were assessed on both day and night sorties, with 10 SQN taking the overall honours. |
| 21JUN73 | Flew a marex. |
| 02JUL73 | To Cairns and return. |
| 04JUL73 | To Cairns with replacement crew for Dakota A65-65, which was unserviceable due to engine failure. |
| 04JUL73 | Departed for Richmond, but diverted to Amberley with engine trouble. Departed for Richmond the following day, returning to Townsville that night. |
| 10JUL73 | To Cairns and back for pilot continuation training. |
| 17JUL73 | Flown by CO to Darwin with personnel and spares for A89-274. |
| 19JUL73 | Flew a tacex. |
| 01AUG73 | To Alice Springs with servicing personnel and spares for A89-271. |
| 02AUG73 | Flew a marex. |
| 07AUG73 | On a navex to Eagle Farm and back. |
| 13AUG73 | Flew a fishex en route to Darwin. Fishery surveillance sorties were flown out of Darwin, and en route back to Townsville on 15AUG. |
| 24AUG73 | Took part in shadowing exercise off the NSW coast, operating from Richmond. |
| 03SEP73 | With 4 other Neptunes departed for Richmond to take part in submarine exercise 'Tame White Pointer', returning on 07SEP. |
| 25NOV73 | To Richmond to take part in the flying phase of No 90 JUC. |
| 02FEB74 | The CO flew the aircraft to Edinburgh, returning on 06FEB. |
| 15FEB74 | Flew to the Solomon Sea for a sarex, prior to Royal SAR standby, and landed at Port Moresby. The crew then flew to Lae on 16FEB for continuation training, returning the same day to Townsville via Port Moresby. |
| 18FEB74 | Took part in a SAR in the Emerald area for a missing light aircraft on a flight from Gladstone to Longreach. The machine was not located, despite an extensive search by aircraft from 10 & 11 SQNS, and numerous civil aircraft. |
| 23FEB73 | To Port Moresby for standby Royal SAR during Queen Elizabeth II's tour of New Guinea. During a continuation sortie to Lae on 24FEB, the aircraft suffered an internal engine failure, and landed at Lae. After an engine change, A89-281 flew back to Townsville on 05MAR. |
| 11MAR74 | With A89-271, took part in exercise 'Young Trojan' out of Darwin, returning to Townsville on 21MAR. |
| 26MAR74 | Flew a tacex, carrying out a supply drop to Willis Island during the exercise. |
| 28MAR74 | Flew a Mt Isa TACAN check. |
| 26APR74 | To Darwin for conversion training, returning on 29APR. |
| 18SEP74 | To Port Moresby with spare parts for A89-270. After A89-281 left Port Moresby, to continue the search for a disabled yacht in the Groote Eylandt area, a fuel leak developed in the bomb bay fuel tank. The tank was jettisoned, and the aircraft recovered to Port Moresby, returning to Townsville later that day. |
| 19SEP74 | To Port Moresby, however the flight was not completed, due to a fuel pump problem. |
| 20SEP74 | To Port Moresby with spare parts for A89-270. |
| 21OCT74 | Flew a tacex. |
| 30OCT74 | Flew a marex to Port Moresby. The next day, the aircraft flew to Lae and returned to Port Moresby, flying back to Townsville on 01NOV. |
| 05NOV74 | To Edinburgh via Rockhampton and Amberley on a route check, returning to Townsville via Amberley on 08NOV. |
| 18NOV74 | Flew a sortie as part of exercise 'Warm Waters'. |
| 25NOV74 | To Darwin to take part in exercise 'Fence Post', returning on 04DEC. |
| 13JAN75 | To 2AD Richmond for 'E' service, returning on 02MAY75. |
| 09MAY75 | To Richmond via Williamtown, returning the same day. |
| 21MAY75 | To Amberley and return the same day. |
| 13JUN75 | To Edinburgh, taking 10 members of the squadron to take part in the Basic Maritime Warfare Course. |
| 01JUL75 | To Richmond, returning the following day. |
| 22AUG75 | To Richmond to be weighed, returning on 25AUG. |
| 10SEP75 | Flew a marex. |
Notes
|
| Issue | Date | Remarks |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 13JUN05 |
Updated
details of the removal from Archerfield thanks to Geoff Timms of HARS
who supervised the operation and drove one of the trucks
|
| 6 | 22DEC03 |
Updated
progress with dismantling and transportation to Parkes.
|