40,000 visitors are expected at the RAAF Richmond Airbase on the outskirts of Sydney this weekend, September 27-28 for a sold-out airshow to celebrate the famous base’s 100th anniversary and the Roulettes Aerobatic Team from Sale will be one of the star turns.
But never mind that… residents of Korumburra were treated to a full-dress rehearsal of the Roulettes show on Friday, September 26 when Korumburra's own, Squadron Leader Lachie Hazeldine took six Pilatus PC-21 aircraft through their paces high over the town.
In an aerobatic display that thrilled hundreds of people in the town, the pilots looped, dived, climbed, stalled, and flew upside down ‘Top Gun’ style before finally saluting the town as they returned to their base at East Sale.
Wow, what a Grand Final Holiday Weekend thrill it was to see them practicing their death-defying feats up and down the main street of town, seemingly within touching distance at times.
As recommended by Australian Defence Force, the best viewing area was at the Korumburra Showgrounds, where hundreds of people assembled or above the town on Warragul Road.
But locals and farmers from Leongatha South to Loch witnessed the display and raved about it afterwards on social media.
Squadron Leader Lachie Hazeldine, grew up in Korumburra and joined the RAAF in 2001 completing a degree in Aviation Technology at the Australian Defence Force Academy. In 2003 he joined No. 199 Pilots Course graduating in 2004, then flew the AP-3C Orion maritime aircraft and whilst at No.11 Squadron was involved in numerous operations and exercises within Australia and overseas.
Lachie qualified as a flying instructor in 2010 and was posted to Pearce in Western Australia to instruct at No. 2 Flying Training School where he instructed the RAAF’s advanced pilot’s course on the Pilatus PC-9/A. From there he was posted to Central Flying School, spending 12 months instructing military flying instructors.
Lachie subsequently joined the Roulettes and flew five seasons as Roulette 3, 6 and 5 on the Pilatus PC-9/A. In 2017 Lachie moved to the Pilatus PC-21 transition office and was involved in the initial introduction of the aircraft before returning to the Central Flying School and the Roulettes in 2019, completing another four seasons as Roulette 5 on the Pilatus PC-21.
This is Lachie’s 14th season with the Roulettes.
More in next week’s South Gippsland Sentinel-Times.
