Hong Kong Government Flying Service

[Flying Lawyer]

While in Hong Kong on behalf of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots I had the opportunity to spend a few hours with the Government Flying Service and came away very impressed.


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Government Helipad on Hong Kong island, next to the Convention and Exhibition Centre at Wan Chai


http://static.panoramio.com/photos/original/105006470.jpg
Judge Tudor Owen
Kowloon side in the background

Previously the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force, it became the GFS in 1993 and is a department of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. It provides 24 hour SAR cover over the South China Sea up to 700 nm from Hong Kong (including the HK FIR) although most operations are within 400 nm. The helicopter rescue range is extended by refuelling at oil rigs or floating production storage and offloading vessels. Other ops include medevacs, fire-fighting, police air support, anti-terrorist operations and assisting in missions initiated by the Civil Aviation Department and the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre.

The GFS has a fleet of ten aircraft: 3 x AS332 L2 (Super Puma L2), 4 x EC155 B1, 2 x Jetstream 41 and a Zlin 242. The helicopter fleet flies about 5000 hrs per annum and is mainly used for SAR, air ambulance, fire fighting, police air support, lifting loads and internal cargo, airborne monitoring in the event of a nuclear accident and carrying government passengers. The Jetstreams are used for initial search in long range SAR ops, as well as other roles.


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Judge Tudor Owen
GFS Headquarters at the south-west corner of Hong Kong International
L - R:
Former RAF pilot Capt Trevor Marshall (Chief Pilot - Training and Standards)
Myself and my partner
Capt Michael Chan (Controller of GFS). Capt Chan was a QFI at CFS while attached to the RAF.
Capt Tony Fung (Our Regional Chairman, a Cathay B777 Training Captain)
Carmen Fung
Capt West Wu (Chief Pilot - Operations)
Capt Emily Wong
Aircrewman Officer Wallace Yuen
Capt Howie Chun
Capt Michael Ng (Jetstream).
Judge Tudor Owen


The GFS is a very impressive organisation and I'm very pleased it accepted an invitation to become one of the affiliated units of the Honourable Company of Air Pilots (http://www.airpilots.org).

Does anyone here fly for them?
Or flown for them in the past?


Tudor Owen

[Cabe LeCutter]

Thanks for the kind words, nice pictures.:ok::ok:

[Adam Nams]

:ok: I am glad you enjoyed your visit.

[Flying Lawyer]

Thanks for the missing names. I've edited my post.

A very interesting visit - and excellent company throughout.
I enjoyed it enormously, as did the other visitors.

[tomotomp]

Yes I served with them in 1994 to 1997 3 and a bit very rewarding years

[Hedski]

Not to hijack the thread but any former or current staff at GFS got decent photos of the S70's during their time there?

[Heliport]

It wouldn't be a hijack.

The thread is about the GFS so any recollections/photographs would be interesting. :ok:


H.

[ValMORNA]

Drifting . . .


Does the Hong Kong Flying Club still exist? A colleague of mine flew a Stearman in the early 1970s. I was an associate member through the H K Static Line Club - ex military parachutists.

[KiwiNedNZ]

Very professional group of people to work with.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS1_zpsba068e1d.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS2_zpsccc3ad96.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS3_zps490f558b.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS5_zpsa15a7609.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS6_zps505d568f.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS7_zps50076cff.jpg

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g100/KiwiNed/2014%20Mis%20Images/GFS8_zpsf8d270ae.jpg

[Vmax8]

ValMORNA,

the Hong Kong Flying Club became the Hong Kong Aviation Club and still exists.

[212man]

Some familiar faces!

[leopold bloom]

Great organisation, lovely people and a fascinating place. Miss it :{

[Wan Wei Luke]

Me too, some good friends were made there.

[OldBillXV]

The GFS, and formerly the RHKAAF, are a great bunch of professionals, to which, the HK public owe a great deal, for their tireless work, much of which goes unnoticed, and without recognition.

My father was the CSO at the RHKAAF for many years until his retirement in 1993. I have some very fond memories of the warmth and generosity afforded us all.

XV

[chopper2004]

As most of my family are from and are out there, my uncles who are local dignitaries have had the pleasure of visiting GFS, and it's predecessor RHKAAF over the decades.

Myself the last time I was in HK , it was the era of the S-70 and S76 used to see the go out a lot on missions. Also when I was a kid, remember the SA365Cs go out.

This year they're putting out a tender (I put this on another thread) for new aircraft and they should have had their new Challenger jets delivered by now

http://www.gfs.gov.hk/Document/graphics/image1/GFS-CL605.JPG

I've also had the pleasure of working with engineers who had a spell in the GFS as well in my old place.

Cheers