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Issue #396: A New Era
Cyclone Tracy evacuation efforts were the best of our industry
Were you alive for Cyclone Tracy? I wasn’t but it’s hard to fathom today the scale of the damage inflicted by the hurricane. Estimates suggest up to 80 per cent of buildings were destroyed and the weather event hit in the early hours of Christmas morning, when the city was unprepared for its fallout. It didn’t help that predictions in the days before suggested it would miss the city entirely. What is less remembered, though, is the huge evacuation efforts, led by aviation, to get residents to safety.
In December, my colleague Jake Nelson received an email on behalf of Paul Boyce, the senior figure at TAA responsible for leading the evacuation efforts, 50 years ago. The story he later recalled was extraordinary: after spending the night sheltered in his bathroom with his pregnant wife, he sprang into action the next day to gather a crew to get people out. The story Jake has written is one of the best to have appeared in this magazine in recent years, and aptly displays why our sector is so important to the functioning of the nation as a whole.
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Also in this issue, we celebrate the arrival of the RAAF’s final F-35 Lightning II. One of 72, it represents a step change for our air force that has not just changed our capability, but forced the military as a whole to rethink how it operates. Despite its doubters, it’s also a magnificent beast: a true multi-role fighter that is as at home operating in stealth as it is launching missiles or performing electronic attack operations. The arrival of the last aircraft, then, represents a new era in Australian aviation.
Elsewhere, we examine the fall and rise and fall (again) of Rex. Delving into our archive, we show how the airline reacted to events in real time. As this issue goes to print, the federal government has pledged to purchase the remnants of the carrier should a buyer – inevitably – not be found. It’s a fascinating read, and shows the folly of its decision to lease 737s to fly capital city routes mid-pandemic.
Oh, and finally, we have our regulars: Traffic, Warbirds and Register. Eagle-eyed readers will find the extraordinary tale of the Qantas 717 that came back from the dead to carry on operations after it was farewelled, and also the tale of a 70 year old Vampire that saw the sun again.
Enjoy the issue,
Adam
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Opinion: The real threats to air safety
Jake Nelson, Senior Journalist, Australian Aviation
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Opinion: US Air Force chief warns it’s time to rebuild
Stephen Kuper, Senior Analyst, Defence Connect
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