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Maintenance is performed on one of the two New Zealand crewed and registered OC-3s (note the large windows on the aircraft in the foreground), while in the background a Mi-26 awaits its next mission. The two DC-3s are operated by a Brisbane based company, Morris Catering, flying passengers and freight under contract to the UN throughout Somalia. (Stewart Murphy)
Somalia – Our Helping Hand
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Australia and New Zealand are again working together at the coalface of yet another international hotspot. Our highly rated air traffic control and logistics management capabilities are making life in Somalia just that little bit saner.
Mogadishu, Somalia – Our Helping Hand
Bounded by the ravages of war torn Mogadishu and the tranquillity of the Indian Ocean, Mogadishu airport remains the hub of activity for the continuing efforts to restore the infrastructure and stability of life in Somalia after years of civil war.
The arrival of ten RAAF air traffic controllers in October 1993 to carry out the aerodrome control function, supplements an existing team of Australian Defence Force personnel managing the key elements of the air and ground operations with UNOSOM (United Nations Operation in Somalia). The 4. 30am chant of the Muslim prayer announces the start to a new day at Mogadishu airport, with the sounds of prayer being drowned by the roar of low flying Black Hawk helicopters, any chance of sleeping through the endless wave of aviation activity is denied. Some sounds become nothing more than a part of the subconscious, like the constant drone of the AC-130 gunship operating overhead and the scout teams comprising the OH-58 Kiowa and AH-1 Cobra attack helicopters, maintaining airborne security over the city and its surrounds through the night and day.
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