I have a good friend that is on assignment and working in Phuket, Thailand for News Ltd... (mainly the Telegraph in Australia). He's not a freelance.
I've told him about the Civvy helicopters that are on there way and he's keen to do a story... If those involved can PM me or post details here, I'll pass his details on for you to hook up...
If you feel that it's appropriate for us to "place tickets on ourselves", I'm know our industry will get some very positive exposure from his coverage.