First Pacific Patrol for 2008
Intrepid civilian, new RNZAF Public Relations Assistant Anna Sussmilch, reports on No.5 Squadron’s first Pacific patrol (NORPAT) for 2008.
Co-pilot FLTLT Simons and Flight Engineer CPL Springall. WN-08-0052-40-tn.jpg.
It’s cool and clear as number three crew of 5 Squadron and their intrepid civilian make their way across the tarmac at Whenuapai Air Force Base towards a gleaming grey P-3K Orion waiting patiently in the early morning sun.
Once we have clambered aboard, the aircraft becomes a hive of activity as the crew get busy making final checks to their instruments and the aircraft while the food is loaded on and packed away with an ease that belies its volume.
It’s late January and the first Northern Patrol (NORPAT) of the year is about to get underway. These patrols assist neighbouring Pacific countries with the monitoring and surveillance of vessels in their vast Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs). This trip was to conduct surveillance around the EEZs of Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.
With a world-wide depletion of fish stocks and the need for more sustainable fishing practices, countries need to actively monitor who is entering their waters and what they are doing. In the case of many Pacific countries, with EEZs so much larger than their actual land mass and without the necessary resources, the partnership with the RNZAF is a welcome addition to the work of their own patrol boats.
Back in the aircraft, pre-flight briefings from the captain, pilot and tactical coordinator outline the aims and goals for the day. There is a safety briefing and then it is time to strap in. The propellers whir until they become a silver blur and we are off.
AEOP CPL Rebecca Wilkins. WN-08-0052-38-tn.jpg.
For the intrepid civilian on her maiden military flight, the excitement level has gone through the roof.
It soon gets a whole lot more exciting as preparations are made for a light load drop of mail for the Department of Conservation staff based on the remote Raoul Island.
While SGT Peter Dennis and CPL Rebecca Wilkins don their safety gear and get into position by the door, pilot FLTLT Russ Simons, who is in communication with DOC staff on the ground, brings the aircraft in low over the drop zone.
The door is opened and there is a rush of wind. After a practise run SGT Dennis and CPL Wilkins prepare themselves for the real thing and standing precariously close to the edge push the load out. Airmail in the most literal sense.
Reflecting on her experience while winging her way across the seemingly endless vista of the Pacific Ocean, 20-year-old CPL Wilkins laughs as she says, ‘I was absolutely terrified. It was pretty frightening. I had to sit down afterwards!’
Before embarking on this adventure, tales had been told about the food that is eaten on NORPATs. As it turned out these were not mythical stories but true in every sense. With chef Sgt Dennis and the rest of the crew and intrepid civilian taking turns as sous chefs and waiters we were treated to bacon and eggs for breakfast, steak and salad for lunch and sweet treats that would make any small child think all their Christmases had come at once.
Surveillance of a vessel. WN-08-0052-41-tn.jpg.
As we continued on our northward journey it was not long before a vessel was picked up on radar. Long before it is spotted from the flight deck, F/S Sean Rogers is able to watch the ship’s movements via a surveillance camera mounted to the underside of the aircraft. Visual information - the name and type of ship - is compiled and passed on to HQ Joint Force. From there, in this instance, it goes to the Ministry of Fisheries.
For Fielding local F/S Rogers this environment is why, after ten years with the RNZAF and two stints on Operation Enduring Freedom he still relishes coming into work each day. ‘I like the unpredictability of it and the challenging environment.’
As we get closer to the vessel, the Orion quickly drops altitude; the knees go funny with the G Force and the ocean seems just metres away. As we fly overhead SGT Dennis takes photographs of the ship. The information from the images assists the authorities in determining whether the vessel has jurisdiction to be fishing the area.
As the radar picks up more vessels the crew work together to come up with a plan to identify all the vessels and ‘rig’ them in the most efficient manner.
Supervising the tactical rail SQNLDR Danny Lazet says it’s about combining the information you get from the Navigator, optics and radar. There is also the need to plan ahead. ‘You have to deal with contingencies and be thinking a few hours ahead of the mission plan.’
AEOP F/S Rogers and AEO FLTLT O’Rourke.
WN-08-0052-42-tn.jpg.
When it all comes together SQNLDR Lazet says there is a satisfaction that comes with achieving the mission’s aims.
The up and down movement of the aircraft as it continued its surveillance saw the slightly green intrepid civilian seek out a stint in the cockpit. The views of the Pacific Ocean and morphing cloud sculptures act as an instant cure, together with the often amusing banter between the pilots, FLTLTs Simons and Campbell Hardey and the two flight engineers, SGT Paul Allen and CPL Graham Springall.
As jokes are exchanged it is easy to see why for FTLT Hardey this is his dream job. “I always wanted to fly, ever since I was about six years old.’ Since he joined the RNZAF straight out of school FLTLT Hardey has been with the Air Force for eight years, the past four with No.5 Squadron.
As captain there is also a supervisory element to FLTLT Hardey’s role which begins with the planning of the flights, the gathering of weather and airfield information, discussing plans with the tactical coordinator and bringing the rest of the crew onboard with the mission’s goals and objectives. There is also the need to manage crew safety and fatigue.
After three days of surveillance around the Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of Samoa and Tonga a cyclone off the coast of Vanuatu meant an early return to New Zealand. But the show wasn’t entirely over.
As the aircraft arrived at Whenuapai, FLTLT Simons was preparing to perform his first buzz and break. It was an incredible view from the flight deck as we sped over the runway and banked hard to the right. As the roofs of nearby houses seemed unnervingly close the intrepid civilian was left thinking commercial flights are going to be as dull as watching paint dry from now on!