Well it wasn’t raining, unlike our last visit to Bankstown! The forecast was for showers, but they held off all morning thankfully. About 12 riders and a couple of pillions turned up at Menai 7/11, and some others in cars. 22 people in all.
We headed off towards Bankstown Airport, to my place of work – Kareela Aviation and I proceeded to give everyone an introduction into my world! We had two BK117 twin engine helicopters undergoing maintenance and a couple of helicopters ready to go at a moments notice, plus a single engine Bell 206 and 206L as well. The talk and questions covered how they worked, what role they performed, how much fuel they held, the cost, how we got tasked to a fire job, who paid and how many staff looked after them. Also of interest was the winching, fire fighting and water bucket ability of the helicopters, with all the equipment used for this role. There was an engine on a stand that had been removed and this enabled everyone to see how small they were, for the power they produced. Morning tea was provided (very basic!) and a big thanks to my good wife, Denise, for helping set up. And there was interest in the bosses Maserati that was parked in the hangar!
From here it was a short ride to the NSW Police Air Wing (Polair) Base. Sgt Paul Jones welcomed us to the facility and left us in the capable hands of Ben, who showed us around, until they got called out on a job! We were able to visit the Operations room and the hangar and also went out onto the helipad the view a Bell 412. The technology that is available to the police is amazing- Infra-red cameras, gyro stabilised cameras, night vision googles, direct live video links between the operations room and the helicopter, tracking via the large inter-active map in the communications area. We were also able to view live footage from the helicopter as it sped to a job on Sydneys coast.
I think most people were impressed with the tools available both at Kareela Aviation and the Police to help keep our houses, property and streets safe.
Thanks for coming and hope you all enjoyed it!
Cheers
Brett (Chopper)
