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Unwelcomed media chopper

Old 8th Feb 2006, 19:14
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LowNr, thanks for the reply. With regards to TRA approval, I don't think you should say
but TRA ARE approved, authorised and promulgated by ATC
but more they are done by AirServices Australia. The ATC is the last in the heap who reads it and then broadcasts it.
I'm not making excuses, but it is not as simple as it once was.
I understand what you are saying, but again I would point out that there are at least 3 transmissions of hazards and that pilots should, if possible, be monitoring the area frequency at H+15 and H+45, which is when the information is given out.
I know there are about a squillion ways to skin the frequency cat, but it's what we have and we have to work with it. Believe me, ATC aren't overlly thrilled at the way the frequency scheme works. We are there to help if needed, but FlightWatch is the first port-of-call.
Cheers,
NFR.
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Old 8th Feb 2006, 19:46
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NFR,
Sorry, I take your point. I was using ATC where I should have said AirServices Australia. I appreciate it's not the person on the radio. Nor is it my choice to visit these scenes, I just drive the taxi as safely as I can. We do check when in doubt, but have no reason to think there would be a TRA in this case.

I know that we must work within this system and all pilots do their best to monitor the area frequencies. However it is often the case, even with two radios, when you have to be off it. That area frequency is also often in competition with more urgent comms needs e.g. for the media choppers, the need to separate each other at a scene.

In the past we have provided aircraft and personal phone numbers to both ASA and the Police. The Police also know the media outlet phone numbers and have PA type systems in the NewsRooms over which they make relevant announcements. These are far more effective and efficient ways to contact us, if necessary.
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Old 10th Feb 2006, 10:37
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Media Helicopter Pilots

Whilst I haven’t been media flying for some years now, I remember the imposition of arbitrary TRA's, especially by local police, as a regular topic I had with Police Media Liaison as a Chief Pilot. Admittedly it was some time ago and I hope thing as have changed.
Local police seem to have been more ready to slap a TRA on a scene with the express purpose of restricting the media. That was obvious when we arrived on the scene after obtaining approval through the Police Chain of Command overriding the local cop (usually an Inspector). Finally, they (Police) and the fire authorities learned that it was better to let the media in, appoint a representative to brief them and escort them as required. This kept the media under control at an incident and ensured that the best possible chance of getting the right info prevailed.
I remember landing at an incident near Benalla in Vic at a typical accident on the Hume freeway. Landing 200-300 metres upwind of the scene, the local copper ‘grounded’ the helicopter as it ‘endangered the scene’ as a petrol tanker was involved. (No TRA was established by the way, and it didn’t warrant one either.) The tanker had run off the centre lane into the median grassed area, one lane had been closed with traffic allowed to flow in the right lane adjacent to the overturned tanker. No amount of talking would convince the moron that he was out of line. I new the local Fire Authority Regional Officer who just raised his eyebrows in disbelief. I rang Media Liaison and the situation got shorted. On another occasion we encountered a TRA up to A040 over a murder scene that had media already standing in the street. Once again a local country Inspector.
Not all media pilots get it right every time. I’m included. But if you want to know who are the most apt at CTA work, knowing CTZ boundaries precisely, flying in close proximity to obstacles and other helicopters, operating in high radio traffic environments including at the same time dealing with the phone call from the COS, a media pilot is expert at keeping all the balls in the air at once. If he/she isn’t, they don’t last.
I guess my long-winded point is, don’t lump all pilots into a perception of guilty by association. And more importantly, don’t believe everything you hear from a person who puts a TRA on an incident. All the pilots I flew with in the Melbourne media were experts at avoiding making an impact on any incident they attended.
Geoff Williams
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