Wright, who had pleaded not guilty to three charges, was convicted on accusations of asking the crash pilot to falsify flight records and of lying to police to obstruct the investigation, but no verdict was reached on whether he had allegedly perverted the course of justice on a third occasion.
Rotor-Lift, which has operated the Westpac rescue and Ambulance Tasmania helicopters in the state for around 25 years, said it was blindsided by the Tasmanian government’s decision to award a $354 million, 12-year contract to interstate operator StarFlight.
In a $26.7 million boost to the RAC Rescue fleet, the AW139s replace ageing Bell 412EPs which had been in use with the state’s Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) since 2003. They will operate from bases at Jandakot and Bunbury, operating 24/7 and 365 days per year.
Captain Jonathan Hogan, Major Matthew Stubbs and Captain Alexander Paranthoiene – former Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopter pilots – are leading the transition of the Australian Army from the Airbus ARH Tiger to the Boeing AH-64E “Guardian” Apache attack helicopters.
The recruitment push comes as preparations ramp up for the basing of the advanced attack helicopters at RAAF Base Townsville later this year.
Nova Systems will provide both hardware and software solutions to support the Navy’s Aircraft Maintenance and Flight Trials Unit (AMAFTU) with its modern flight testing requirements.