Cyclone Tracy – Aviation Historical Society of Australia

DerekB30/12/202431/12/2024

Outlook AHSA Newsletter December 2024

The December 2024 edition of Outlook / AHSA News was distributed to members recently. This edition can be read online in the viewer below....

1966 No 9 Squadron RAAF arrived in Vietnam on 6 June 1966, equipped with eight Bell UH-1B Iroquois helicopters - known as the ‘Huey’. The squadron was based at Vung Tau. The 'Huey' was a revolutionary counter-insurgency weapon that could drop troops into battlefields and extract them just as efficiently. A key component of their role was medical evacuation or the ‘dust off’. They also worked closely with the elite Australian Special Air Service (SAS) patrols. No 9 Squadron received numerous additional ‘Hueys’ in different versions during their time in Vietnam. Their crews were frequently exposed to ground fire, hazardous weather conditions, and were often required to land in small clearings surrounded by tall trees. The risk of landing areas being contaminated with landmines was also quite high. By the end of the Vietnam War, No 9 Squadron’s ‘Hueys’ had supported every major operation conducted by the Australian forces, flying 237,424 missions. Source: airforce.gov.au

1995 On 6 July 1995 the combined Civil Aviation Legislation Amendment Act 1995 and Air Services Act 1995 established the rationale and operating arrangements for the creation of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and Airservices Australia (ASA) out of the former CAA. ASA became responsible for the delivery of airspace management, control services, aviation search and rescue. In turn, CASA became responsible for the regulation of the aviation industry, licensing of pilots, aircraft certification and the setting of airspace design and safety standards in accordance with the Civil Aviation Safety Act 1988. CAA Chairman, Mr Peter Gibson and chief executive Mr Doug Roser departed when the Minister, the Hon Laurie Brereton MP announced the changes. The new CAA board had Justice William Fisher as Chairman, Mr Leroy Keith as Executive Head, and Dr Clare Pollock, Captain Geoffey Molloy and Ms Gabi Hollows. Source: House of Representatives, Debates, 7 June 1995, p.1372; Australian Financial Review, 7 October 1997; Minister for Transport News Release,T48/95. via aph.gov.au website

1996 On 6 June 1996 NSW Coroner John Gould handed down findings into the 11 June 1993 Monarch Airlines crash (Piper Navajo Chieftain VH-NDU), critical of the airline, the former CAA and the NSW Air Transport Council. The Minister (Mr John Sharp) foreshadowed a review and other actions to address the report's recommendations. Source: Canberra Times, 7 June 1996; Minister for Transport Media Statement, 6 June 1996 TR46/96. via aph.gov.au website