Issue 95: April 1994

Consequently it is good to learn that Defence Minister Robert Ray is to launch an investigation within the Dept of Defence to see how that organisation can better liaise (and vice versa) with the various State and Federal emergency service organisations in a time of crisis. The review will take place later this year when the full analysis of the NSW fires is bedded down and will also take into account the effects of the other scourges of nature such as cyclones and floods.

Command and control is certainly high on the list of priorities as in aviation’s case, without the people on the ground being able to communicate precisely with the ADF units available then there is little that either can offer the other. Even the seemingly non complex act of making the initial request for assistance is often a long and confusing episode, particularly if disaster strikes during the mid December to late January standdown period for the ADF when usually fully operational resources are fairly inactive.

The DoD review will hopefully address a wide range of issues and will also look at being able to dedicate certain ADF assets for specific operations in the event of an emergency. As mentioned in our March issue Recce, we have 50 plus medium lift Sikorsky S-70 series helicopters capable of making a real difference if deployed, controlled and managed correctly to aid ground based fire fighters. Surely the Federal Government could finance a relatively inexpensive design effort to come up with a purpose designed 3000 litre fire bucket for these very powerful helos.

This would mean an uplift of six to seven times the typical payload of a JetRanger while additionally these helos can also move large groups of fire fighters from point to point as needed. However, this concept doesn’t, and should never, compete for hard pressed funding from existing ground based requirements such as properly equipped fire trucks, proper clothing and kit and mobile pumping units, etc. However, when you think of some of the unbelievable things that governments waste our money on, certainly the relatively meagre R&D involved in designing such a bucket and building enough to be prepositioned in the primary fire regions should not exactly send the nation into fiscal shock.

Can Army for instance offer other items of equipment on a more planned basis. Trucks, both heavy and light, mobile catering, medical and communications support units plus the sheer availability of a large number of able bodied service personnel could certainly assist in helping turn the tide of any major disaster. However, they and their commanders need to know precisely how best they can fit within the existing EMS units operations before the event, not after. In some extreme cases. Navy has ships which can offer considerable assist ance to coastal centres just as they did in Cyclone Tracy. All these assets exist and are for the good of all Australians.

The proposed DoD review of coordinating the ADF into the national disaster scenario to better utilise its wide range of capabilities and how it could better interface with our existing emergency services is something that will be of long term benefit to all Australians.

Good One Tassie!

No matter how you look at it, Skyrace Tasmania, Australia’s first indulgence in the exciting sport of pylon racing in recent times, was a huge success.

The weather was perfect, the crowds above expectations and the excitement of the racing itself was generally judged as being a winner. Naturally it wasn’t perfect and indeed any reasonable person would expect minor hitches with the first of type of such a new and complex undertaking as pylon racing from a hard working largely volunteer group of people who had little previous experience at organising events of this magnitude and complexity.

Action at Skyrace Tasmania, a great success and hopefully the beginning of a whole new form of aeronautical motorsport.

Our congratulations also to Robbie Booth and Qwilton Biel who created a first when they flew their immaculate Hawker Sea Fury across the Tasman to claim gold. Maybe this will usher in a new era of trans Tasman warbird ferries as both nations begin to participate at the major airshows on either side of the Tasman. Let’s hope so.

Skyrace will be on again next year. Be there you won’t regret it-Tasmania’s a visual marvel and always pleasant to visit and that an exciting new form of aviation is taking place on the Apple Isle is surely enough reason to have you packing your bags. Our pictorial report begins on pag 23