Steve76
Now now mate, one would have thought your New Year Dive would have waken you up.... I still have your Katherine Gorges departure flight visual:ok:
And to the lot of you, this pilot and his passenger are safe. Yes it may have been an expensive learning lesson for this young lad, but we all made mistakes along the way:hmm: Let's not forget that his machine was VFR and that is all he knows. He probably thought nobody would look for them at night, who knows....
And if we cost the public pocket some funds, so be it. Let's not forget the good we do when there is a national emergency and we all pitch in.
May be the flying school's syllabus should be higher, with a few hours required in survival/emergency training. Instead of negative input towards a Company or it's pilot, some lateral thinking would be good :E

The pilot did the right thing by landing.

15 years ago Helimuster operated 15+ R22s and 15+ B47s in the territory, all had HF radios installed and the company kept daylight till dusk sarwatch.

Anyone operating in designated remote areas for extended periods should have HF or Sat phone comms.

Gasgen, couldn't agree with you more.....
 

This thread has gone off the "Correct Decision" question....yes under the circumstances he made the correct decision.

The question of whether the helicopter was equipped sufficiently for such an area....is now the relevant question.

If operators wish to transit such areas, knowing full well that the AUSAR folk must respond to such events....then an invoice sent to such operators will soon convince them to equip their machines to the standard demanded....because someone must pay for this unnecessary SAR response.

Yet alone the OHS legislation, requiring operators to provide a safe working environment.

Autorotate….What a stupid, ill informed and senseless post……