Volume 48, No. 16, Sepetember 7, 2006
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Members
from Search and Rescue Flight prepare for a training exercise
at RAAF Base Darwin.
Photo by CPL Michael Davis
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By
Gavin Briggs
WINCHED into rough seas at night, dangling from the end of a 250-foot
cable calls for a fair bit of daring and a lot of skill.
This is all in a day’s work for the crew of Search and Rescue
(SAR) Flight, located at RAAF Base Darwin for last month’s
Exercise Pitch Black.
However, not all search and rescue work is carried out at sea,
according to David Coxhead, who leads the SAR Flight.
“During Aces North in June we responded to a civil aircraft
crash on Bathurst Island,” the pilot said.
“The SAR crew attended the crash site with the Air Force
doctor from RAAF Base Darwin aboard our helicopter. Unfortunately,
in that particular incident, the pilot died from the impact of
the crash.”
The crew members boast many years of experience, complemented
by continuous training and a vast array of technology packed tight
into their Sikorsky S-76 helicopter.
“The Flight Management System allows us greater flexibility
when conducting a search and rescue,” Captain Coxhead said.
The 'Mark-on-Target', which positions the helicopter to 'auto-hover'
within 100 metres of its target, enables the helicopter to hover
over water at night, assisting the crew in rescuing people at
sea.
Not all the gadgets are limited for use by Captain Coxhead and
First Officer Stephen Simpson. SAR crew members Aircrewmen Geoff
Abrahams and Brody Prideaux have their fair share of control of
the helicopter when conducting a mission.
“Once the rescue target has been found, the crewman takes
remote control of the helicopter with a ‘remote trim’,
and can direct the helicopter towards the survivor while the pilots
monitor the instruments,” aircrewman Abrahams said.
And when there is nothing but darkness during a search?
“We have the ‘night-sun’ which is a thirty million
candle-watt lamp that can turn night into day over the rescue
sight at the flick of a switch,” aircrewman Prideaux said.
The Sikorsky S-76 has a four-person crew and can also take onboard
a medical specialist, two stretchers, and two seated passengers.
SAR crews and helicopters are located at four fixed bases —
RAAF Bases Williamtown, Pearce, Tindal and East Sale.
