Cattle Mustering incl Training, Job Prospects (!) etc etc
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And now there is camel mustering
BBC Two - Australia with Simon Reeve, Episode 1, Helicopter camel muster
A nice clip of Australian helicopter flying.
A nice clip of Australian helicopter flying.
Some recent footage of live Bighorn sheep capture in the US:
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6a5_1386200310
Word is the driver went to Kiwiland to be trained in 'agricultural flying techniques'.
Am I right in thinking that the style of net-gun depicted in this clip was in fact first developed in NZ?
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=6a5_1386200310
Word is the driver went to Kiwiland to be trained in 'agricultural flying techniques'.
Am I right in thinking that the style of net-gun depicted in this clip was in fact first developed in NZ?
Yes Sav, I think you might be correct. Two New Zealand shooters, Ivan Wilson and Graham Jacobs, are widely credited with designing and constructing the first useful, hand-held, net guns used in live deer capture circa 1978. Sir Tim Wallis tested the guns early in their development and obtained them for use in his fleet of 500s flown by his company, Alpine Helicopters Ltd. Soon, net guns were fitted to the left skid of 500s, allowing numerous further opportunities to capture live deer. It appears that the NZ net-gun and the 500 are still the best combination when it comes to live animal recovery operations worldwide.
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Grazie 500!
This rings true of my own (limited) awareness of Kiwi deer flying and related developments. I'm just wondering whether anyone in NZ patented the idea and if all such guns are made in NZ?
This rings true of my own (limited) awareness of Kiwi deer flying and related developments. I'm just wondering whether anyone in NZ patented the idea and if all such guns are made in NZ?
From flicking through my reference on NZ Deer Capture Operations, it seems Ivan Wilson and Graham Jacobs came up with the first successful net-gun. Word soon spread through the heli-venison industry and it appears that other shooters started making their own net-guns in the shed! Apparently Wilson and Jacobs would arrive at a shooter's house to show him their net-gun in the hope of a sale, only to have the prospective customer emerge out of his man cave with his own net-gun! I can find no mention of anyone actually patenting the idea or design of the "net-gun". Presumably a net-gun can today be purchased from a certified manufacturer but back in the early eighties, it seems everyone had a go at making their own gun.
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Working at mustering
Hello,
I am an apache pilot with over 1700 flight hours,
Most of it is low flying when being Pilot in Command.
I also have a CPLH license.
I am trying to find a job as a mustering pilot, most of it for the experience and not for the money.
What procedure do u recommend me to do in order to obtain this job?
Do you know stations I should contact that could help me find a place to work?
Thanks!
I am an apache pilot with over 1700 flight hours,
Most of it is low flying when being Pilot in Command.
I also have a CPLH license.
I am trying to find a job as a mustering pilot, most of it for the experience and not for the money.
What procedure do u recommend me to do in order to obtain this job?
Do you know stations I should contact that could help me find a place to work?
Thanks!
I am an apache pilot... trying to find a job as a mustering pilot
You will have to get experience on the ground first for anyone to hire you to fly, as you can't be a mustering pilot without first knowing how a cattle station and a mustering operation works (this may have been different 30 years ago, but nowadays there are plenty of mustering pilots around).
So first you will need permission to work in Australia. Go to a flying school, convert your license and get rated in the R22 if you aren't already. I hope you have some experience in smaller single engine machines, otherwise this might take a few hours. Next, apply at any of the larger stations for a job as a station hand. If you aren't afraid of getting your hands dirty it shouldn't be too hard to find work, someones always looking out there. Work on the ground for a year or so, learn how everything works, and if you aren't useless you will probably meet someone sooner or later who will give you a go at a flying job. It's all by handshake and word of mouth out there.
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Mustering down under
It would appear that the latest mustering film clip has moved right on from camels in the red centre to Buffalo in the Top End. I don't know if Pandalet is still around? If so we spoke many moons ago about a Zebra colour scheme painted on an R22. I am fairly sure it was she who expressed a desire to see a photo of it. This is a different machine, same colour scheme, to be aired this Sunday on our ABC Landline program, and the same pilot of the previous subject. I have no idea what to say about the program prior to its airing other than some of the prelim clips have been somewhat "startling" to say the least. I do however know the reporter Kristy quite well having done some work with her in the past and doubt she would make anything up. Kristy also made an excellent short doco on the plight of the Northern Oz Live-Export industry a few years back after it suffered an ignominious ban from the Federal Minister of the crown, of the Primary Industries. Yep; that is, the Cattle Industries supposed protector who buckled to rabid Labor whips. All the best Tet.
Wasn't the cattle export ban put in place because the Indonesians were doing naughty things to the cattle they imported from Australia? Whether rightly or wrongly about the export ban decision, when an animal is off to the slaughter house it should be treated with some care and dignity.
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Some Indo meat workers did indeed do norty things, mainly those who were paid a few rupes (which in that macho environment is all it takes) to play up to the camera. Most meat works were doing the right things and the Oz industry had contributed many spondoolicks, effort, inventions and extension officers to make sure that was the case. Oz is the only country in the world who conducts and has done for decades extension work WRT animal welfare in their destination markets. Of course you could believe that or the dirty stinking Unions who motivated those low life PETA people to spin up the story, it's up to you. Meanwhile they created through a gutless Minister a billion dollars plus of hardship in North Oz alone and financial ruin to many in both countries because of it, even without the flow on downward effect of 30% income loss to the rest of Oz red meat industry.. One of the best Feedlots / meat works / processors on Java stood down seven thousand workers because of it. Those families did a bad, bad starve, one of many; no unemployment relief over there. I'm quite happy to provide its name if you wish to go over there to verify. Many cattle shown on that sacred TV show 60 minutes, were not of Oz origin. Here is a bit of a lead in by Kirsty. Documentary to show 'scars' of live cattle ban - ABC Rural - ABC News
Apologies for thread drift to admin, that is all I will say on the matter I sure hope that is enough clarification..
Apologies for thread drift to admin, that is all I will say on the matter I sure hope that is enough clarification..
Some Indo meat workers did indeed do norty things, mainly those who were paid a few rupes (which in that macho environment is all it takes) to play up to the camera. Most meat works were doing the right things and the Oz industry had contributed many spondoolicks, effort, inventions and extension officers to make sure that was the case. Oz is the only country in the world who conducts and has done for decades extension work WRT animal welfare in their destination markets. Of course you could believe that or the dirty stinking Unions who motivated those low life PETA people to spin up the story, it's up to you. Meanwhile they created through a gutless Minister a billion dollars plus of hardship in North Oz alone and financial ruin to many in both countries because of it, even without the flow on downward effect of 30% income loss to the rest of Oz red meat industry.. One of the best Feedlots / meat works / processors on Java stood down seven thousand workers because of it. Those families did a bad, bad starve, one of many; no unemployment relief over there. I'm quite happy to provide its name if you wish to go over there to verify. Many cattle shown on that sacred TV show 60 minutes, were not of Oz origin. Here is a bit of a lead in by Kirsty. Documentary to show 'scars' of live cattle ban - ABC Rural - ABC News
Apologies for thread drift to admin, that is all I will say on the matter I sure hope that is enough clarification..
Apologies for thread drift to admin, that is all I will say on the matter I sure hope that is enough clarification..
How is it that the Australian tax payer pays the wages of the human garbage that comprises 'our' ABC.....
.
Buffalo in the Top End.
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The answer Old Farang, is close to nine hundred thousand and close to the same number of Bovines right across northern OZ.. The whole BTEC (TB eradication) cost $960 million, but we are now one of very few world wide producers now with "Confirmed Freedom" status of TB and Bruscellosis as a result. Incidence of up to 28% infected status in many feral herds was the reason for the culling. Of course those numbers do not include the better than that which we successfully mustered of feral animals as well.(To help other guests understand those numbers, there are vast tracts of land in the Top End which are known as Vacant Crown Land, [aboriginal freehold lands and much of being lush coastal flood plains] where no active animal management is conducted. A total of 50% of the NT is as such. There is a lot of desert is mixed up in that, but that is where the feral camels are. Reputed to be in the hundreds of thousands and also another story only yet half told)
In the landline program you will see the underlying politics covered quite neatly by Kirsty.
Thanks Binghi, One thing that changed was the hours we did during the program. I did 18,000 charge hours in 13 years. (add nearly one in six for no charge -slightly more than the legal limit back then ha hah) Nowadays most people do it easy doing well less than the reverse number. At the peak HeliMuster was doing 23,000 hours per year with 23 machines and just 23 pilots, you're not kidding maintenance was hard work mostly done at night. I wouldn't like my kids to be doing what we did. The most intense short job was when four machines and twelve stock inspectors converged on a place known as Wagait up in the Top End where in four and one half days we shot just on 17,500 wild, highly infected Buffalo. Like Custer's last stand it was.
As Danny says in the program "It (the live export ban) was very badly handled", indeed; all of that effort an investment discarded blatantly by callous politics.
The Minister involved and government are being proceeded against. Round one is completed just a few days ago, hence the program being topical. Now we await for the judge to determine whether indeed he was guilty of misconduct, then round two - scheduled for December - will hopefully establish "Quantum". The last three Federal budgets have reserved around one billion dollars in case they have to fork out.
Wild at Heart: Top End buffaloes are in demand but catching them is a skill - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
In the landline program you will see the underlying politics covered quite neatly by Kirsty.
Thanks Binghi, One thing that changed was the hours we did during the program. I did 18,000 charge hours in 13 years. (add nearly one in six for no charge -slightly more than the legal limit back then ha hah) Nowadays most people do it easy doing well less than the reverse number. At the peak HeliMuster was doing 23,000 hours per year with 23 machines and just 23 pilots, you're not kidding maintenance was hard work mostly done at night. I wouldn't like my kids to be doing what we did. The most intense short job was when four machines and twelve stock inspectors converged on a place known as Wagait up in the Top End where in four and one half days we shot just on 17,500 wild, highly infected Buffalo. Like Custer's last stand it was.
As Danny says in the program "It (the live export ban) was very badly handled", indeed; all of that effort an investment discarded blatantly by callous politics.
The Minister involved and government are being proceeded against. Round one is completed just a few days ago, hence the program being topical. Now we await for the judge to determine whether indeed he was guilty of misconduct, then round two - scheduled for December - will hopefully establish "Quantum". The last three Federal budgets have reserved around one billion dollars in case they have to fork out.
Wild at Heart: Top End buffaloes are in demand but catching them is a skill - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)
Thanks for that, tet. Some of the R22 knockers that are very vocal on some of these threads need to watch it. I owned one of the very early machines, the s/n less than 150. Before tip weighted blades and engine governors, which kept you on top of the game! 
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No worries Farang, we must have crossed paths but there has been a fair bit of water around since the light weight blades. I did my conversion in a L/W one in Perth with Shortes and then shortly thereafter a bit more practice in our first one at VRD with L/W blades on. Yeah the autos were swish - shhwish - shhhhwwishh! .That was with the late Les Morris so's I could do the company endorsements on them. Les was a mighty bloke with a flair for the non predictable. We must do some autos he says and he stipulated they be at 52 knots all the way until flare. Hmmm. On the third trip down on a quite warmish day and at least half fuel, halfway thru the flair his larrikin nature allowed him to yell, "Wow look at that, the collective on my side isn't even plugged in." He was waving it around in the cabin demanding my attention, I was done, bloody near scared me witless, bugger him - beer time. One thing though our mustering training and both the BTEC and prior to that the Donkey eradication programs churned out a couple hundred and more mighty fine pilots of whom the company hierarchy were mighty proud and who went on to distinguish themselves all around this globe. Sometimes you might overhear a conversation /argument about who was claiming the prize as the top slave in '82 or whenever. The last contract I filled in the dots for had a list of seventeen pilots at average of 7,500 hours plus, all low level experience. Pretty easy to snooker jobs with those stats.cheers. tet.
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ANZMI - Australia & New Zealand Military Imposter Group - Stolen Valour - Shortis
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I am fairly certain it is he. The photograph shows a person of slightly heavier stature than I remember at Jandakot in December 1985 where he did my conversion onto R22 VH-UXQ. Although facial features are very similar. Mr. Ronald A Shortis, helicopter license # 105657 (straight off my endorsement sign off). I again saw him as depicted at Caloundra Queensland with his red S62 and getting some work done on it there quite some years later....It'd be a bit of a bugger if his R22 sign off wasn't legit after I've now done about >10K hours in the blessed things....Not to mention plenty endorsements for others....