X-Nico

4 unusual facts about RAAF Learmonth


Emergency airworthiness directive

On October 7 2008, Qantas Flight 72, a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport, made an emergency landing at Learmonth airport near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia following a pair of sudden uncommanded pitch-down manoeuvres that resulted in serious injuries to many of the occupants.

No. 322 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron RAAF

In addition to providing support services at RAAF Tindal, it also has responsibilities for the three RAAF bare bases at RAAF Scherger near Weipa, Queensland, RAAF Curtin near Derby, Western Australia and RAAF Learmonth near Exmouth, Western Australia.

No. 85 Squadron RAAF

On 30 April 1943, the same day as it received its Boomerangs, No. 85 Squadron established a detachment of six of these aircraft at the 'Potshot' air base at Exmouth Gulf to protect the United States Navy submarine support facilities there.

RAAF Learmonth

Though F-111C's could have made a round-trip to Indonesia's capital, Jakarta, from RAAF Base Darwin, the route they took would have been very much limited by range.


Qantas Flight 72

Qantas Flight 72 (QF72) was a scheduled flight from Singapore Changi Airport to Perth Airport on 7 October 2008 that made an emergency landing at Learmonth airport near the town of Exmouth, Western Australia following an inflight accident featuring a pair of sudden uncommanded pitch-down manoeuvres that resulted in serious injuries to many of the occupants.

Radio Solar Telescope Network

The USAF/RSTN system is currently being upgraded in frequency to a bandwidth from 25 MHz to 180 MHz by the Solar Radio Spectrometer (SRS) system at Palehua, Hawaii; San Vito dei Normanni, Italy; Sagamore Hill, Massachusetts; and RAAF Learmonth, Western Australia.


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