LOL!
I just had a thought as I figured I would see a bunch of posts about “have the girl pay for this”, etc.
I imagine these guys have to fly around all the time on training missions anyway. Like pretend missions to find and coordinate a pilot rescue, pretend to drop supplies, etc. Coordinate flight plans, refueling, working with allied naval ships (French in this case), communications, etc. These guys would probably love to put this training to real use, and it is still “training”.
I imagine they will find some real-life glitches in the system too. (”What do you mean no one on board speaks French!!??”)
“I imagine they will find some real-life glitches in the system too.”
Naval Ship: “We still don’t see your jet.”
Austalian Command: “It should be circling your ship”
Naval Ship: “Nope. The only thing out there is some prop engine plane.”
I’m not convinced the girl should have been allowed by her parents to go, but the people going on about the cost do annoy me.
If your neighbour’s house is on fire, do you rent them your hose?
Australia rescues those in danger if we’re in a position to do it - and other countries do the same for us.
If the Sunderland family want to make some sort of donation after they make a lot of money selling their story, that’s fine with me - but you help where you can. That’s the way it works.
For our allies in Australia using their P-3 (really long legs and can spend a lot of time on-station) not only fulfills their mission, but, gives them a lot of positive press. In the budget battles good press is nice to have on your side!