Feral animal control

[Heliringer]

Hi, I am based in Australia and was speaking with another pilot about upcoming contracts. One was a shooting contract, he told me that only people with a Mustering or Ag rating could fly these missions. Is this correct?
Thanks for any replies

[imabell]

no, it is not correct although it is generally the case that these pilots are used because of their experience.

[RVDT]

Check up on the fact that you will be operating below 500 feet, discharging a firearm from an aircraft, etc, etc.......

Would probably need an Ops Spec which will in turn more than likely require your pilots to hold a Mustering Endorsement in the broad area that it actually covers.

I agree with you GG that you (technically) might not need it but...........

[imabell]

i have no idea what ops specs may be involved but from a legal point of view the low level approval should fill the bill.

the discharging of firearms is a different thing but i think most shooters would prefer someone with some low level (mustering), background. they might specify that in the terms of any agreement.

gg

[topendtorque]

Hi, I am based in Australia and was speaking with another pilot about upcoming contracts. One was a shooting contract, he told me that only people with a Mustering or Ag rating could fly these missions. Is this correct?
Thanks for any replies

g'day mate.
I note that you've got about 500 hours in july and in another post about 700 hours in july. Most shooting contracts (for govt anyway) will be looking for minimas of 1500 or so LL experience, preferably mustering. in reality most govt bods (the shooters) look down their snooters at anyone with less than 1500 mustering and several thousand total ~ usually mustering.

There will need to be an AOC with Feral Animal Control included and an Ops Manual sup as to how you do it. Then there's the tender bit about making sure your machine and the people (crew) in it is licensed and insured correctly.

The other bit is to make sure that you have a machine that WILL LEGALLY carry two POB, with at least three hours fuel, one or two high powered firearms, bits and pieces of radio detection gear, water, (lots) ammunition, maybe 8-900 rounds, lunch, survival gear, a few tools and spares, (for the guns of course) stick books etc. Did I mention OAT's usually about 40 degrees celcius, or more. (these govt blokes are sick individuals, none of this pansy stuff doing it while it's cool in winter)

Apart from that if you don't mind frightening yourself witless regularly and blood and guts all over your bubble from time to time, it's ~ probably not fun, but a living.

cheers TET

[Heliringer]

TOT, Thanks for your imput, I only asked because I thought that anyone with a LL Endorsement could do shooting. I am not an operator just a line pilot and dont know these types of stuff. Well about the hours, Yeah around 500/600 in july but had a busy month!
Cheers
ringer

[topendtorque]

Yes, July is usually the good tourist month, hang in there fella, keep your nose clean, apart from weeing do everything into wind, your machine spotless and you'll be on the market before you know it.
all the best
tet

[Arm out the window]

...apart from weeing do everything into wind...
Classic saying, TET. Is that yours? Should be at the start of every flying textbook!

[topendtorque]

Classic saying, TET. Is that yours? Should be at the start of every flying textbook!

Fraid so, all free to air. To get students (this is operational not Ab-Initio) to really learn I always found it better to impress them with the essentials with one liners in a way that hadn’t usually happened at flight school. Most often from within their comfort zone, or maybe right inside their pressure zone. (Normal animal handling?)

The one above one comes from the one set of bracketed problems ~ all the downwind stuff, power settling, possibly developing into the intelligence insult of the T/R departing where it’s supposed to be, (and all the excuses that go with it) right through to fully blown vortex ring state.

There’s some more below, I’ll be brief, but first, they are always coupled to an addressing lingo, as follows

The ‘Sunshine’ treatment goes to those on top of their game looking for new skills, just reminding them – they are learning.

The ‘Einstein’ bit goes to several types, maybe those who are a bit hesitant, maybe trying, or a bit slow, sometimes a confidence builder, other times a mild to strong prod, like, “What’s the f*n time Einstein?” When they’ve forgotten to check the fuel on time; Not Good, definitely not good!

The fully blown ‘Di****ad’ goes to those who reeeallly went to the right schooool, and are just sitting there suffering the check pilot until they get to straighten the world out later. Not often used.

What we call the ‘living on the edge’ stuff like power settling and low level downwind theory starts with, ~ “Knowing where the wind is coming from, even when you’re sound asleep – Einstein”.

We may go to ~ “Follow us through there first time, just in case you learn something, Sunshine!”

We will demonstrate and have the student do many power settling scenarios and learn ~ “If in doubt push it out there Sunshine”. (You know getting into clean air – cyclic forward collective too if possible, that sort of thing)

Then we get serious, drop like a brick ~ vortex ring, (we call shooting the tube) with violent tail movement and from every which way until the student is quite competent. Usually he gets fairly quickly to never falling further than eighty feet, in real free fall I mean.

Just when they think they have got through this session I’ll pick a time when their still very nervy and it’ll be ~ “If you really stuff up you’ll maybe only go eighty feet, just remember, that if you start like a read di****ad at fifty feet It’ll only EVER be the last thirty that’s painful.”

Always amusing to watch the time lag in some cases while the elementary arithmetic goes on! All jokes aside this is an imperative for mustering types.

However there has always been about three or four schools from where students go very well, take to this stuff like a duck to water, they need to for any thing hot and high and where dexterity is required.
I do observe that I am most disappointed that vortex ring state survival is not mandatory at licence issue. Many have never seen it when they present for a job.

Even the navy, poorbuggers, not allowed to pee sideways, and then get told to land in a disturbed air vortex maelstrom at the aft end of a high speed boat. You know the old adage ~ 'if it hasn't happened ---- ----!!!