On the Airbands

In the near future, I predict that Qantas will take over ATC responsibility for international apron control on 122. 3 MHz in Sydney only. Their staff will have to undergo intensive CAA training, but this should present no real problem, as there are numerous staff within Qantas who are former Air Traffic Controllers from either civil or military ATC organisations. I personally think that the handover of responsibility will be painless, and Qantas will do a great job on the apron.

Still at Sydney Airport, Qantas secondary company VHF frequency 131. 25 MHz which is used for other than Qantas company aircraft is now known as “Executive Air” by way of callsign. In addition, a new frequency for all Sydney Airport refuellers now in use is 129. 9 MHz, which is also used at Bankstown by Shell Oil. The Sydney Airport refuellers in question are Shell, Air BP, Mobil, and Caltex.

Christmas 1992. Sydney ATIS, which is computerised, with a monotone but reasonably pleasant sounding computer-generated voice on 127. 6 and 115. 4 MHz: “Sydney Terminal Information Delta, Runway zero-seven departures, Runway zero-seven or three-four arrivals, simultaneous runway operations are in progress, expect traffic on crossing runways, wind. . . three-two-zero degrees at one-zero knots, downwind two knots runway zero-seven, QNH one- zero-one-eight, temperature two-two, CAVOK, a Happy New Year to all my listeners, and. . . W-H-O-O-P-E-E!” A short time later. . .

AIRCRAFT: “We have information Delta, copy WHOOPEE!” APPROACH CTL: “That’s about the best WHOOPEE we could get him to do!” That story courtesy ofan anonymous reader from Kingsgrove in NSW, who supplied all his details but requested them to be suppressed. We always comply with such requests. A history lesson now, from John Freeman of Low Level Aviation, Lake Alexandrina, SA. During 1952/53, when John was a keen young private pilot training for his Commercial with the Royal Aero Club of SA, he was able to use the club’s first radio equipped aircraft, an Auster.

The transceiver was an AWA “Airmite”, with a whopping one watt output! As John eloquently puts it. . . “we pilots used to group around the radio and listen to the headphones turned up loud, at the time that the big ones were due into Parafield. We heard Parafield Tower talking to a TAA Convair, the so-called Cannonball Service from Sydney. It was the hot ship of the times, and Parafield Tower advised the Convair crew of traffic, being a DC-4, and two DC-3s, plus two Tiger Moths in the circuit, and three Tiger Moths on local flying. After being so advised, the Convair crew member on the radio replied. . . “Okay Parafield, we’ve got our butterfly net out!”.

John Freeman’s company Low Level Aviation specialises in operations 500 feet above ground level, and below, and are associated with Trojan Aerial Services. Thanks for the great letter John! Another anonymous contribution, from a Townsville reader who listens on a WIN-108 airband only scanner.

Our correspondent was monitoring Townsville Control fre- quency 128. 85, which controls airspace in a 90 nautical mile radius around Townsville. On frequency at the time were two Ansett 727s, VH-ANF out of Cairns bound for Sydney, and VH-ANB was Brisbane for Cairns.

ATC: “Alpha November Foxtrot, request Townsville position report then. . . thirty seconds later. . . .

ATC: “Alpha November Foxtrot, request Townsville position report!” VH-ANF: “Alpha November Foxtrot . . . ahh . . . can you clear something up for us. As we are on radar, do we still have to report over Townsville?” ATC: “Alpha November Foxtrot, Townsville Control, affirma-tive, this is your last position report on radar, as we only have radar coverage to 90 DME south of Townsville. ” VH-ANF: (now satisfied. . . ) “Okay, thanks, we were over Townsville at five-six, on climb to flight level three-three-zero, estimate Emerald at two-nine. ” ATC: “Alpha November Foxtrot, thank you, report cruising. ” VH-ANF: “Alpha November Foxtrot, roger!” VH-ANB: “Don’t argue . . . just do it!” VH-ANF: “Up yours!” Our anonymous correspondent states that the last two comments were very much said in jest, as both pilots were obviously known to each other and the best of mates. I’ve had some criticism, which is perhaps due to me, for not running more helicopter stories. But they are slow to arrive at the “On the Airbands office. Every time I get a good helicopter story I run it, as they are a rarity.

Sigmund Cameron from Alice Springs in the NT delivers a gentle kick to my butt, and also requests some information on a very large helicopter operator in the NT and other states, Helimuster.

Well Sigmund, I know for sure that they have at least 70 aircraft, of which 40 are helicopters, and the company is entirely Australian owned. The operation comprises charter, heli-mustering, a flying school, and also do some search-and-rescue work. John Weymouth is the head of the organisation, which is based at Victoria River Downs Station in the NT. John loves to fly, and has amongst the company stable some great toys, such as three Pitts Specials, an RV4, a Laser, a MiG-15, a Winjeel, and a T-28 Trojan! Their training operations cover everything from guiding a little Robinson R-22 around an outback cattle station, to operating a JetRanger with Bambi-Buckets over a bushfire scene. They are also in the business of teaching people to fly all kinds of helicopters, from lightweights through to heavier gas turbine aircraft. So that’s who they are Sigmund! The company is easily on a par with the situation during the heyday of the now defunct Airfast-Helicopter Utilities Group. Probably the biggest in Australia. And hello to two pilot friends of mine in Helimuster, Grant Johnson and Steve Hobson.

Lots of anonymous letters this issue. From Rockdale NSW, the story of the Police helicopter Polair 1, which had just received clearance from Sydney Tower for a short flight to its Bankstown airport base.

POLAIR 1: “Clearance Delivery, Polair 1, thanks for that. And for you and your workmates about to go home, our Highway Patrol people are set up on General Holmes Drive near the Boeing Tunnel!” ATC: “Thanks mate, I’ll tell the crowd who are about to head homeward!” It’s nice to know a cop! George Pergaminelis of Blackburn South in Victoria wants to cast our minds back to the 1992 Avalon Airshow. He left his trusty WorldStar analogue receiver, at home, as it was too bulky, and instead carried a Realistic Jetstream Mini receiver. (Suggest you upgrade from this for handheld outdoor use George, the receiver is very very deaf!!) During avery busy period of the Airshow, when many private and charter aircraft were arriving, George recognised the voices of the visiting controllers, and says “what a great job they did!” A Cessna 172 had just landed, and on avery short final behind this aircraft was a Seminole. As things got closer it was realised the Seminole was too close behind the already landed Cessna, so the controller gave him the next best option: overfly the Cessna coming to a stop on the runway, and land well ahead of him! The transmission went something like this: ATC: “Alpha Bravo Charlie (the 172). . . you’re clear to land, minimum delay on the runway thanks, there’s a light twin right behind you. ” VH-DEF: “Ahh. . . Delta Echo Foxtrot, we’re the Seminole on short short final, I frankly don’t think we can make it down behind that 172” ATC: “Okay. . . Delta Echo Foxtrot, an option. Can you overfly the Cessna and land ahead of him?” VH-DEF: “Yes”.

ATC: “So do it Sir!” George says this is not really the sort of landing clearance he received from ATC when learning to fly, but it probably made good common sense considering Avalon’s north-south runway is some three and a half kilometres long.

Another example of prime good sense and good management was the way in which landing clearances or instructions were given to aircraft in the event that their callsigns were either unknown to ATC, or forgotten: ATC: “Blue Cessna on short final, clear to land!” or ATC: “White Navajo with red stripe, join circuit upwind “George states he finds “On the Airbands very entertaining, which provides a break from the facts and figures in the more techni-cally oriented articles. Thanks George.

Time to leave now, and if you’d like to contribute, write to “On the Airbands”, PO Box 16 Georges Hall 2198. See you next month!