Well, I withdraw
aeromed is a farce and insert aeromed
services have become a bit of a farce due to kangaroos on the runway at night.
You know I never intended to slur the gallant ladies and gentlemen of that service.
Runway wallabies keep night flights on ground
September 8th, 2009
This mesh fence was supposed to solve the wallabies problem
This mesh fence was supposed to solve the wallabies problem
WALLABIES are continuing to plague night operations at a Territory airfield more than four months after a mesh fence was supposed to solve the problem.
Pearl Aviation has not yet resumed aero medical flights at night from the Tindal Air Base near Katherine.
The company continues assessing risks with the defence force.
But Wing Commander Rob Chipman said he was unable to say when Pearl Aviation would resume the flights.
"We do not influence Pearl Aviation," he said. "They're making their own assessments of the risk."
Defence aircraft continue to use the base at night, he said.
"The risk of colliding with a wallaby with a (Defence) aircraft are not quite as dire as they are for a Pearl Aviation aircraft."
Tindal is used for military and civilian flights, including charter, tourism and aero medical services.
Pearl Aviation stopped retrieving patients from the base after two of its planes hit wallabies in 2007.
Two defence F/A-18 Hornets also hit wallabies last year.
A 1.8m-high chain wire mesh barrier was erected around the airfield to cut down on the numbers of wallabies in April.
But Mr Chipman said hundreds of animals remained inside the new fence.
"There are still areas within the wallaby-proof fence that are bushland," he said.
This month Defence culled 112 animals in two weeks.
Mr Chipman said Defence was looking at different ways of solving the problem but found culling had so far proven to be the most successful way.
My bold