Wallaby's do not need an ASIC
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Wallaby's do not need an ASIC
The evening news tells me that air medical flights no longer come to Katherine at night time, as they have had two occasions when their aircraft "had an incident" with wallabies at night time.
But the big tough military people are not scared of wallaby's, and they scare the wallaby's away.
Silly me. I thought they would put a fence around it.
But the big tough military people are not scared of wallaby's, and they scare the wallaby's away.
Silly me. I thought they would put a fence around it.
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'bushy' wildlife on airports is a real issue. Notwithstanding the Military which don't live in the real world anyway any operation whether it be aeromed or otherwise has to consider the 'risks' associated with landing at an aerodrome that is rife with dangers such as wildlife. I know that if there is a higher than acceptable risk in my Co. we simply don't go there.
Do you put a 'price' of maybe three or four others at risk to possibly save one other?. There in lies the question.
The PIC has the ultimate decision there, nobody can tell hin otherwise.
I know I've said no a few times over the years much to the constination of others notwithstanding (there's that word again!) a few Mercy flights that I considered worth the risk mainly 'cause of the tasks being an OS extended flight where there was no other options.
CW
Do you put a 'price' of maybe three or four others at risk to possibly save one other?. There in lies the question.
The PIC has the ultimate decision there, nobody can tell hin otherwise.
I know I've said no a few times over the years much to the constination of others notwithstanding (there's that word again!) a few Mercy flights that I considered worth the risk mainly 'cause of the tasks being an OS extended flight where there was no other options.
CW
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Thank you
Thank you Capt Wally. I agree with most of what you say. I did fly RFDS aeroplanes for about 12 years in SA/NT.
The point is the nonsense about ASIC's etc, when they cannot even keep wallabies out of a semi military airfield.
A commercial pilot's licence should be sufficient identification to be on an airfirld.
And there should be a fence to keep the wallabies out.
The point is the nonsense about ASIC's etc, when they cannot even keep wallabies out of a semi military airfield.
A commercial pilot's licence should be sufficient identification to be on an airfirld.
And there should be a fence to keep the wallabies out.
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I agree 'bushy' a CPL (any pilots license actually) should be all that's needed to be allowed on an airfield, afterall granting such a license does obvioulsy mean that the holder needs to access the airfield in the first place to excerise their now granted right & therefore shouldn't have to 'pay' extra for the priveledge by way of a silly ASIC, which can be gotten around anyway! Such safety devices are only for the honest thieves
CW
CW
Last time I had a look at the Tindal fence it was rather good! Me thinks the RAAF ADG's need to go play Rambo and clear out the pests on the inside, as once there gone I doubt they could get back in again.... (except maybe the GA Gate that was swinging in the breeze...) The other option is the Air ambos could just keep hitting them till there are none left! Any takers.?.?
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I think the problem may be that the managers of said installation, not specifically being the Air Force, cannot differentiate between the need to fence the 10400-odd hectares of the intallation vs the rather more achievable 675-odd hectares that the civilian airport management world would call 'airside'. I think that keeping wallabies, and indeed any undersireable form of life, including humans, off 675 hectares of cleared movement areas would be much simpler than keeping them out of 10400 hectares of woodland. The additional fencing might even pay for itself. Other unexpected consequences may be military compliance with civil regulations for the security of airport movement areas, the security benefit to the installation of hosting tens of thousands of wallabies who will make a fuss when intruders come calling, and something for the ADGs and their dogs to eat on those long patrols.
Darwin may have had similar problems with dingoes (called 'wild dogs' for the purposes of permissive culling) coming into contact with 767s and even the occasional local resident taking a shortcut home.
Darwin may have had similar problems with dingoes (called 'wild dogs' for the purposes of permissive culling) coming into contact with 767s and even the occasional local resident taking a shortcut home.
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Now I'd have to check my old tapes, but didn't Skippy get a CPL in one of the 1977 episodes? A marsupial on an airfield with a CPL would be hard to control. That would make a good argument for the ASIC requirment.
even the occasional local resident taking a shortcut home.
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Hay bushie those poor old Katherites.
Don't you need an ASIC to get to the shops nowdays.
No aeromedial service after dark, now that would be a first. NTAMS used to fly into places with much worse animal (and human) problems than that. Konrad would eat walabies for breaky and I am pretty sure Macca dosn't mind the taste either.
As someone said, there is bloody big fence around the base already. But its a lot of ground in side the fence to clear wildlife from.
You think you have it bad. I went to an aerodrome the other day where all the offices and hangers of the local flying companies are 50 m inside the fence. Bit of a shame if you want to go for a joy flight or TIF.
Don't you need an ASIC to get to the shops nowdays.
No aeromedial service after dark, now that would be a first. NTAMS used to fly into places with much worse animal (and human) problems than that. Konrad would eat walabies for breaky and I am pretty sure Macca dosn't mind the taste either.
As someone said, there is bloody big fence around the base already. But its a lot of ground in side the fence to clear wildlife from.
You think you have it bad. I went to an aerodrome the other day where all the offices and hangers of the local flying companies are 50 m inside the fence. Bit of a shame if you want to go for a joy flight or TIF.
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It's time
It's time to put in more fencing and check to see if a "cattle grid" will stop wallabies entering. Gates are often not appropriate.
I don't think the military pilots will be very happy about landing on a strip that has resident wallabies, despite what the media tells us. I'm sure the taxpayers who pay for those expensive machines would not like them landing amongst resident wallabies.
I don't think the military pilots will be very happy about landing on a strip that has resident wallabies, despite what the media tells us. I'm sure the taxpayers who pay for those expensive machines would not like them landing amongst resident wallabies.
