Bushfires.
Yes, read it a while back.
Your rhetorical question was addressed with a Royal Commission after Black Saturday.
Here is a warning on the subject from a year ago.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-...ZCRGnYvcbGEJ24
Your rhetorical question was addressed with a Royal Commission after Black Saturday.
Here is a warning on the subject from a year ago.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-...ZCRGnYvcbGEJ24
How do they do the burns when climate change means the available window for doing burns is shrinking? The droughts are getting worse and the temperature extremes are worse. They weren't far of 50C at Penrith on Saturday. The Black Saturday fires saw people who had done all the possible clearing done burnt alive in their homes because the grass fires were enough to kill.
The scientists were telling us this would be an extreme summer for fires, the emergency services were telling us the same message and Scotty just sat there with his fingers in his ears saying "La, la, la, I can't hear you".
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dont have time to explain.
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Oh so it's not the Greens. Where have Adam Bandt, Richard Di Natale been for the last 2 months.
Not one little snippet on tv, radio, newspapers yet Scomo gets a flogging. Of course, they are
in hibernation. They will come out of their rabbit holes when parliament sits next.
When the Democrats dismantled that was the day politics died in this country.
May god save the queen but nothing will save Greens in the next election.
Not one little snippet on tv, radio, newspapers yet Scomo gets a flogging. Of course, they are
in hibernation. They will come out of their rabbit holes when parliament sits next.
When the Democrats dismantled that was the day politics died in this country.
May god save the queen but nothing will save Greens in the next election.
Oh so it's not the Greens. Where have Adam Bandt, Richard Di Natale been for the last 2 months.
Not one little snippet on tv, radio, newspapers yet Scomo gets a flogging. Of course, they are
in hibernation. They will come out of their rabbit holes when parliament sits next.
When the Democrats dismantled that was the day politics died in this country.
May god save the queen but nothing will save Greens in the next election.
Not one little snippet on tv, radio, newspapers yet Scomo gets a flogging. Of course, they are
in hibernation. They will come out of their rabbit holes when parliament sits next.
When the Democrats dismantled that was the day politics died in this country.
May god save the queen but nothing will save Greens in the next election.
It's not the greens.
Factcheck: Is there really a green conspiracy to stop bushfire hazard reduction?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/is-there-really-a-green-conspiracy-to-stop-bushfire-hazard-reduction?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard
Factcheck: Is there really a green conspiracy to stop bushfire hazard reduction?
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/12/is-there-really-a-green-conspiracy-to-stop-bushfire-hazard-reduction?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Copy_to_clipboard
[/In November 2019, she said: “The increasing intensity and frequency of fire is one of the greatest threats to biodiversity and natural landscapes. It may be politically expedient to pretend that conservationists exercise some mythical power over fire legislation and bushfire management committees, but it is not so.
“Such wild and simplistic claims avoid the very real and complex challenges of protecting our communities and the healthy environments that support our quality of life.”
Bowman said that separate to the “lazy political rhetoric” of blaming environmentalists, there should be an examination of the benefits and limitations of hazard reduction.
“Such wild and simplistic claims avoid the very real and complex challenges of protecting our communities and the healthy environments that support our quality of life.”
Bowman said that separate to the “lazy political rhetoric” of blaming environmentalists, there should be an examination of the benefits and limitations of hazard reduction.
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Low time PPLs are anyway not going to get an AG rating.
Why not? Because of CASR 61.1115 (1) (b) which requires candidates to hold a CPL or higher for the AG rating. Note that the rating itself is not enough, there's a requirement to hold the firebombing endorsement too.
Now that this has been clarified, I reiterate my suggestion that many who would otherwise be instructing or performing all sorts of less urgent flying activities when bushfires ravage Australia could get an AG rating with firebombing endorsement and act as reserve pilots.
An Ag Rating on it’s own is currently useless for getting a job fighting fires if you’re an Aussie on fixed-wing. 1,000 hours of Ag flying is the requirement, which will take a good number or years to log. There isn’t so much Ag work around these days
I suspect in years to come most of the fire-fighting pilots in Australia will be from overseas, as the 1,000 hours of Ag isn’t required of them - or maybe CASA will make a Fire-Fighting Rating that bypasses Ag ?
I suspect in years to come most of the fire-fighting pilots in Australia will be from overseas, as the 1,000 hours of Ag isn’t required of them - or maybe CASA will make a Fire-Fighting Rating that bypasses Ag ?
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The Aussie requirement is for 1000 hours of Ag flying. You could have 20,000 hours of instructing and it would still be meaningless in terms of preparing you for firefighting.
I do think the 1000 hours Ag could be modified to include some other ‘relevant experience’ - military operations, mustering, aerobatics, mountain flying (not that Australia has any mountains of note) basically stuff involving stick-and-rudder skills low to the ground - but Instructing certainly isn’t relevant to firebombing. At the risk of offending anyone, I’d say most Instructors have very basic stick-and-rudder skills to start. They’re generally low-time pilots who don’t fly on the stick much themselves, they are in-fact mostly hands-off as they direct someone else flying.
In the USA, Canada and Europe, Firebombing pilots don’t have the 1000 hour Ag restriction, although in practice many have considerable Ag time. But then in the USA and Canada, there are more multi-crew firebombing aircraft where pilots can work as an FO on operations with a more experienced Captain, and hence build up relevant experience without doing Ag.
Last edited by Jerry Springer; 5th Jan 2020 at 19:38.
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Now that this has been clarified, I reiterate my suggestion that many who would otherwise be instructing or performing all sorts of less urgent flying activities when bushfires ravage Australia could get an AG rating with firebombing endorsement and act as reserve pilots.
Your suggestion is like saying, why doesn’t Qantas slot-in some reserve pilots with 1000 hours of Instructing into their 747s when the schedule gets a bit busy.
Last edited by Jerry Springer; 5th Jan 2020 at 19:28.
You're right, albeit for the wrong reasons.
Low time PPLs are anyway not going to get an AG rating.
Why not? Because of CASR 61.1115 (1) (b) which requires candidates to hold a CPL or higher for the AG rating. Note that the rating itself is not enough, there's a requirement to hold the firebombing endorsement too.
Now that this has been clarified, I reiterate my suggestion that many who would otherwise be instructing or performing all sorts of less urgent flying activities when bushfires ravage Australia could get an AG rating with firebombing endorsement and act as reserve pilots.
Well, Squawk 7700 clearly wasn't. I'm not sure about the confusion, inefficiency and casualties part to be honest. Yes, there's a great deal of training involved but wouldn't that money be better invested so than spent in damage reparations? It'll take political impetus to implement. I'd rather read in the newspapers that a pilot died doing the right thing fighting fires than people who perished in the inferno trying to flee.
Many instructors have logged close to 1000 hours. As you say CASA would have the final say but I expect that things will change politically after this season's bushfires.
Low time PPLs are anyway not going to get an AG rating.
Why not? Because of CASR 61.1115 (1) (b) which requires candidates to hold a CPL or higher for the AG rating. Note that the rating itself is not enough, there's a requirement to hold the firebombing endorsement too.
Now that this has been clarified, I reiterate my suggestion that many who would otherwise be instructing or performing all sorts of less urgent flying activities when bushfires ravage Australia could get an AG rating with firebombing endorsement and act as reserve pilots.
Well, Squawk 7700 clearly wasn't. I'm not sure about the confusion, inefficiency and casualties part to be honest. Yes, there's a great deal of training involved but wouldn't that money be better invested so than spent in damage reparations? It'll take political impetus to implement. I'd rather read in the newspapers that a pilot died doing the right thing fighting fires than people who perished in the inferno trying to flee.
Many instructors have logged close to 1000 hours. As you say CASA would have the final say but I expect that things will change politically after this season's bushfires.
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Are there any simple but effective set ups that can mitigate the risk of bush fires. I'm thinking of say a couple of 30,000 litre water tanks just dedicated to a sprinkler system around the perimeter of a property. Release the whole lot in a matter of minutes in front of advancing flames.
Are there any simple but effective set ups that can mitigate the risk of bush fires. I'm thinking of say a couple of 30,000 litre water tanks just dedicated to a sprinkler system around the perimeter of a property. Release the whole lot in a matter of minutes in front of advancing flames.
The couple and the 13 animals that we’re in a 20 ft shipping container with fireproof cladding fitted were on the money. They said the roaring was akin to a nuclear explosion (in their opinion) that lasted for 30 minutes. In that case their house was still standing afterwards. Makes you think that they didn’t get hit by one of these 800+ degree fronts.
The traditional approach of blocking gutter downpipes and filling gutters with water and overflowing appears to work well as long as water pressure is still available last minute, however it doesn’t appear to be successful for these extremely hot fronts. Many home owners aren’t even prepared to the extent that they are able to fill their gutters which is alarming.
This image was over 300kms from the nearest fire yesterday. Makes you realise how little use aircraft would be.
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Rick, "The Greens" have a clear stated policy regarding hazard reduction, as you have pointed out.
Greenies on the other hand, as already shown in the report in post # 20, are problematic.
As you point out, it is hard enough already to get hazard reduction done.
No doubt, when this is all over, you and I will have to spring for another very expensive Royal Commission that, after extensive investigation will tell us what we already knew.
Greenies on the other hand, as already shown in the report in post # 20, are problematic.
As you point out, it is hard enough already to get hazard reduction done.
No doubt, when this is all over, you and I will have to spring for another very expensive Royal Commission that, after extensive investigation will tell us what we already knew.
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Bla bla bla, regulations, superhero flying skills. The ship is sinking and you're asking me if the water is too cold to swim 
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There are two observations to make:
1. Australia is a back water of self-interest. Everything is hollowed out. Infrastructure, water and power all gone.
The system so devoid of capacity that a first world country has no capacity to deliver assets (fuel, food and water) down a highway to support a volunteer force fighting something they have de-funded from tackling.
Listening to that idiot Morrison keep digging a hole, Gladys hoping that no one mentions the cuts to the RFS and the " Commish" all resplendent in his medals on $370K a year defending the non-payment to those volunteers is pathetic.
Watching Smoko forcefully try to shake hands has gone global for a reason, he is not fit to lead a choir.
2. Australian strategic policy used to suggest that at best, the ADF could defend the Bass Strait oil fields..
That policy needs a re-think.From connections on the ground with two agencies, their message is overwhelming: a Fustercluk. ZERO communication, zero plan.
Local police and RFS and aid units, together, have been doing their own thing, the best they can.
1. Australia is a back water of self-interest. Everything is hollowed out. Infrastructure, water and power all gone.
The system so devoid of capacity that a first world country has no capacity to deliver assets (fuel, food and water) down a highway to support a volunteer force fighting something they have de-funded from tackling.
Listening to that idiot Morrison keep digging a hole, Gladys hoping that no one mentions the cuts to the RFS and the " Commish" all resplendent in his medals on $370K a year defending the non-payment to those volunteers is pathetic.
Watching Smoko forcefully try to shake hands has gone global for a reason, he is not fit to lead a choir.
2. Australian strategic policy used to suggest that at best, the ADF could defend the Bass Strait oil fields..
That policy needs a re-think.From connections on the ground with two agencies, their message is overwhelming: a Fustercluk. ZERO communication, zero plan.
Local police and RFS and aid units, together, have been doing their own thing, the best they can.
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Here's a good read on the topic: https://www.ffm.vic.gov.au/__data/as...ine-Tanker.pdf
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A 747 Captain isn’t a superhero and a firefighting pilot isn’t any more of a superhero - each simply has the skills necessary and relevant to their job.
A chap who has 1000 hours of sitting in the right seat while a student does circuits isn’t qualified for either a 747 job or a firebombing job - that’s obvious reality - I really don’t know how anyone would think otherwise.
And that’s not saying the others pilots have superhero skills - it’s just pointing out who is, and who isn’t qualified for a particular job.
Last edited by Jerry Springer; 6th Jan 2020 at 03:12.
Australian bushfires – recommended phone app – helps when lost
Emergency+ app
Several days ago, a spokesperson from the New South Wales RFS headquarters said their 000-emergency phone service normally handles 50 emergencies per day; now the number is more than 5,000.
Although they have increased their capacity to handle this number; they have noted a large number of people are calling in for help when they do not know where they are, which is understandable, if they been driving in heavy smoke conditions or maybe elsewhere when they suddenly need help.
The operators are spending an enormous amount of time trying to work out where the caller is located; which is especially hard for those who are tourists in unfamiliar territory.
The RFS strongly recommends the Emergency+ app, a free app developed by Australia's emergency services and their Government and industry partners which can be installed on your phone. The app uses GPS functionality built into smart phones to help a Triple Zero (000) caller to provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency services.
The moment you turn ‘tap on the app’; your latitude and longitudinal is shown so you and the operator can see where you are.
Those of you who have an aeromedical or SAR background will appreciate the advantage you are given when you can get specific geographical coordinates for your GPS systems.
And the price is right!
Rob
Emergency+ app
Several days ago, a spokesperson from the New South Wales RFS headquarters said their 000-emergency phone service normally handles 50 emergencies per day; now the number is more than 5,000.
Although they have increased their capacity to handle this number; they have noted a large number of people are calling in for help when they do not know where they are, which is understandable, if they been driving in heavy smoke conditions or maybe elsewhere when they suddenly need help.
The operators are spending an enormous amount of time trying to work out where the caller is located; which is especially hard for those who are tourists in unfamiliar territory.
The RFS strongly recommends the Emergency+ app, a free app developed by Australia's emergency services and their Government and industry partners which can be installed on your phone. The app uses GPS functionality built into smart phones to help a Triple Zero (000) caller to provide critical location details required to mobilise emergency services.
The moment you turn ‘tap on the app’; your latitude and longitudinal is shown so you and the operator can see where you are.
Those of you who have an aeromedical or SAR background will appreciate the advantage you are given when you can get specific geographical coordinates for your GPS systems.
And the price is right!
Rob