Back in the seat
Roulettes fly again after crash

The Roulettes team reunites at RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook, on January 24, for the first time since the mid-air incident (FLTLT Pete Geddes absent).

The team manoeuvres into a four ship formation for the Australia Day practice at the Air Force Museum, RAAF Base Williams, Point Cook.

Photos by SGT Dave Grant

By PTE John Wellfare

TWO Roulettes team members are back flying after their aircraft collided during a training flight while preparing for Australia Day celebrations.

Roulette One, Squadron Leader Dennis Tan said the professionalism and training of the whole team had been tested by the incident.

“Roulette Five, Flight Lieutenant Roland Morscheck, made the decision to eject without undue hesitation in difficult circumstances. He is okay because he’s experienced and he is very good at what he does,” SQNLDR Tan said.

“Roulette Four, Flight Lieutenant Mark Ellis, was able to cope with that situation and get the aeroplane back on the ground safely. It really is evidence of their experience and abilities.”

FLTLTs Ellis and Morscheck were piloting the aeroplanes through a manoeuvre in which one aircraft rejoins the other five while flying in a formation barrel roll on January 21.

FLTLT Morscheck was forced to eject immediately after the collision, the cause of which is being investigated.

SQNLDR Tan said the rest of the team in the formation showed great discipline. “They didn’t break formation, they didn’t freak out and all team members remained focused until we were safely on the ground,” he said.

He said the team had recovered from the incident quickly. Less than a week after the collision, a four aircraft team, which included FLTLT Ellis, performed a series of Australia Day displays in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

FLTLT Morscheck took a weeklong break from flying – for procedural post ejection medical checkups – and returned to normal duties on January 28.

He accompanied the team through its Australia Day displays, travelling in a helicopter. “Roulette Five’s aircraft came down in a farmer’s paddock.

That’s no coincidence; that’s all part of the training considerations and display design so that if things go wrong the aeroplane doesn’t pose a risk to the public,” SQNLDR Tan said.

“The display that we perform over built-up areas is a very different show to the one that we were practicing [at the time of the accident].

The manoeuvre in which the incident occurred is very specifically designed for air shows where there aren’t people underneath the display.

“I think that all our training paid off, notwithstanding that we had the accident, but from that point I think the safety systems worked very nicely.

Not just for the pilots – I’m talking about the support services of the emergency response helicopter, fire and medical teams, the emergency control centre and all those kinds of things worked very well and we’re all pretty happy about that.”

As Air Force went to print, the Roulettes had been preparing for a six-aircraft display, including FLTLT Ellis and FLTLT Morscheck, at the Bairnsdale Air Show.

What it feels like to be in a collision: (FLTLTs Ellis and Morscheck describe their experience)
Ejection a split second decision

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