Shock and awe as fighter jet rolls down Sukhumvit Road

SATTAHIP:--From bookcases on the back of motorbikes to pickups stacked twice their height with aluminum cans, we here in Thailand are used to seeing odd things on the roads, but a AV-8S Harrier jump jet rolling down Sukhumvit Road had everyone talking.

Formerly part of the air wing for the HTMS Chakri Naruebet, the British-built jet was moved July 22 to the Royal Thai Marine Corps Museum. The jet had been mothballed in a hanger at the corps’ Jetsada camp for some time.

The journey was slow and difficult. An electric cart, normally used to jockey airplanes or luggage trains around an airport, towed the plane 10 kilometers over two hours with residents lining the street, snapping away with cameras and phones.

The jet had been one of nine on Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, which now has just a handful of working planes due to lack of maintenance, age and a scarcity of spare parts.

- See more at: http://www.pattayamail.com/localnews/shock-and-awe-as-fighter-jet-rolls-down-sukhumvit-road-39965#sthash.eRaGcbS8.dpuf

-- Pattaya Mail 2014-08-01

Ahh, yes, buy the world's smallest aircraft carried, with 9 planes you can't get parts for. That's why it's now a floating museum. Amazing Thailand!

I used to tow Buccaneers when I was in the RAF. Pulling is fairly easy, Pushing is a different ball game altogether.

Why not just drop it onto the back of a low loader and drive the thing there in a fraction of the time ?

Is that the pilot in the pic ready to eject and flee the scene in the event of an accident?

Is that the pilot in the pic ready to eject and flee the scene in the event of an accident?

He is steering the plane

2 hours?

Surely they should have done this at 2 am.

Wow. Airplane.

Sent from my GT-I9500 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

2 hours?

Surely they should have done this at 2 am.

They only decided to move it 30 minutes beforehand! :-D

Sent from my XT1032 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Is that the pilot in the pic ready to eject and flee the scene in the event of an accident?

He is steering the plane

The driver of the tug in front is hitched to the nosewheel and HE is steering it. There is no need for anybody in the cockpit at all as the aircraft had been "mothballed" and it will have no hydraulic power nor air, oxygen, nitrogen or fuel on board anyway.

The aircraft is a Hawker Siddley Harrier built in the UK and not a McDonnell Douglas AV8 even though the AV8 is licence built. The Harriers were retired in 2006 some 8 years ago.

Pity it cannot also make a tour of other parts of the country, en-route to the museum, I'd love to see it !

"...on Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, which now has just a handful of working planes due to lack of maintenance, age and a scarcity of spare parts."

I see that Toyota van driver is trying to sneak past on the inside left as usual.

HEY NUNG ! What does this red button do ? -- PUSH -- OOPS.

"...on Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, which now has just a handful of working planes due to lack of maintenance, age and a scarcity of spare parts."

Oh, but

Revealed: Plane at heart of £3bn aircraft carrier launch is a fake as real models are years behind schedule

DEFENCE chiefs used a fake plane made of plastic to give the appearance of the £3bn HMS Queen Elizabeth being put to use.

An aircraft carrier without planes is the perfect metaphor for Britain's diminished global status

For those who have not worked aircraft, while towing and aircraft the nose steering is disconnected ot by-passed and the tow bar provides directions as it tows.

During towing there is usually some one to apply the aircraft brakes should the tow-bar breaks or becomes disconnected.

A Low-boy or Driop Deck Trailer would have been better, of course I was a trucker as well as aircraft mechanic. I doubt if they ask anyone.

Edited August 1, 201411 yr by gchurch259

I used to tow Buccaneers when I was in the RAF. Pulling is fairly easy, Pushing is a different ball game altogether.

Wow, really

It happens that you run out of spare parts and end in overhelming maintenance costs when you buy all the things others throw on the market for the same reason above,or give away for free and you want to present to have the only aircraft carrier in the region, misunderstood pride, to appear more than you can hold!

I opened this thread from the email, just to see a picture, seen the picture of the plane and closed the tab.

Then I thought, "Hmm, I wonder how many posts before somebody starts remarking about how crap Thailand are in this thread".

So I reopened the closed tab, first reply insulting Thailand. Ah, thaivisa.com

Submarine next sunday....

"...on Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, which now has just a handful of working planes due to lack of maintenance, age and a scarcity of spare parts."

what is so funny about it?

Perhaps because those problems -- lack of maintenance, age and scarcity of spare parts -- seem to be so emblematic of so much of the infrastructure around these parts.

How many thousands of times have we heard those same issues before in all variety of settings...

I see that Toyota van driver is trying to sneak past on the inside left as usual.

...yes...and white cars are the worst...

Just1Voice, on 01 Aug 2014 - 16:19, said:

Ahh, yes, buy the world's smallest aircraft carried, with 9 planes you can't get parts for. That's why it's now a floating museum. Amazing Thailand!

Two years after purchasing them eight were unserviceable, I do not know how much longer the remaining one flew for, but with the inability to maintain them, I would not have liked to have been the pilot.

Naam, on 01 Aug 2014 - 18:46, said:

iReason, on 01 Aug 2014 - 17:25, said:

"...on Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, which now has just a handful of working planes due to lack of maintenance, age and a scarcity of spare parts."

what is so funny about it?

The Thai media have nicknamed it the Thai-tanic.

Why not just drop it onto the back of a low loader and drive the thing there in a fraction of the time ?

But Joe, that would take thought and planning. TIT!

Naam, on 01 Aug 2014 - 18:46, said:

iReason, on 01 Aug 2014 - 17:25, said:

"...on Thailand’s only aircraft carrier, which now has just a handful of working planes due to lack of maintenance, age and a scarcity of spare parts."

what is so funny about it?

The Thai media have nicknamed it the Thai-tanic.

how is the cost overrun of GBP 2.55 billion =110 billion Baht (and counting) of the two unfinished British carriers called? Brit-Tanic?

hanger is in the wardrobe, hangar is for airplanes.

but an automatic spellchecker, a lot of thai and many brits don't know the difference

Just1Voice, on 01 Aug 2014 - 16:19, said:

Ahh, yes, buy the world's smallest aircraft carried, with 9 planes you can't get parts for. That's why it's now a floating museum. Amazing Thailand!

Two years after purchasing them eight were unserviceable, I do not know how much longer the remaining one flew for, but with the inability to maintain them, I would not have liked to have been the pilot.

Is there any particular reason they CANNOT get the parts needed for maintenance, or, just can't be bothered and wouldn't know what to do with them if they had them???

Is that the pilot in the pic ready to eject and flee the scene in the event of an accident?

Seems to be the only one looking forward.