October 2022 Outlook Newsletter

DerekB27/10/202222/11/2022

The October 2022 edition of Outlook / AHSA News has been emailed to members.

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1912 John Margrave Lerew, DFC was born on 20 August 1912 in Hamilton, Victoria. Lerew was an officer and pilot in the Royal Australian Air Force during World War II, and later a senior manager in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). As commander of No. 24 Squadron, he became famous for his irreverent response to orders by headquarters in Australia during the Battle of Rabaul in January 1942. After his squadron was directed to assist in repelling the invading Japanese fleet with its one serviceable bomber, and to keep its damaged airfield open, Lerew signalled headquarters with the ancient Latin phrase supposedly used by gladiators honouring their Emperor: "Morituri vos salutamus" ("We who are about to die salute you"). He also defied an order to abandon his staff, instead organising their escape from Rabaul. In February 1942, Lerew led a low-level bombing raid on enemy shipping in New Guinea that set two vessels on fire. He was shot down but managed to evade capture, and returned to safety nine days after being reported missing. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, he subsequently commanded the RAAF's first flying safety directorate. After leaving the Air Force in 1946 as a group captain, Lerew took up a position with the newly formed ICAO in Canada. He was responsible for several of its administrative and technical reforms, and rose to Chief of Flight Branch in 1969. Retiring from ICAO in 1972, he travelled extensively before settling in Vancouver, where he died in 1996 at the age of eighty-three. Source: McAulay, Lex, We Who Are About To Die: The story of John Lerew, a hero of Rabaul 1942, Banner Books, 2007.

2003 On 20 August 2003 the ATSB reported an improved aviation safety environment with the overall fatality rate declining at 8% per year. Source: ATSB Aviation Safety Indicators 2002. via aph.gov.au website

2005 After leaving Narita airport on 20 August 2005, Qantas Airbus A330 VH-QPE with 194 people aboard bound for Perth developed a fire in the hold and diverted to Kansai International Airport for an emergency landing and evacuation. During the evacuation, one passenger sustained serious injuries and eight passengers sustained minor injuries. The Aircraft and Railway Accidents Investigation Commission (ARAIC) of Japan investigated. Source: ATSB, Aviation Safety Investigation Report 200504074, 30 June 2006. via aph.gov.au website