The Creek Fire is the fifth-largest wildfire in recorded California history and the second-largest single fire.
The flying you will get to hear about in this episode is a reminder about the difference your helicopter skillset can make to people that are in harms way, and that there is nothing quite like these machines. It also earnt those involved distinguished flying crosses.
In September 2020, the California National Guard rescued nearly 400 people trapped by the Creek Fire.
This episode comes care of Max Trescott from the Aviation News Talk podcast and was first published in 2020 while the Creek Fire was still burning. The fire took almost 4 months to be contained.
Max does a great job of editing together several interviews to capture different viewpoints of the rescue operation conducted out of the Sierra National Forest. To see the location and terrain you can review this map.
Some of the voices you hear are Col. David Hall of the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade, UH-60 helicopter pilot Kipp Goding and Henri Laborde, one of the rescued hikers.
Thanks to Max for re-mastering this episode and providing it for use. In this episode I also mention some thoughts about the future of the Rotary Wing Show,
Pause at 6:57 and look at the hellscape that the crews were flying into for the pickups!
Links from this week’s episode: This episode first appeared on Max Trescott’s Aviation News Talk Podcast
A California Army National Guard UH-60M Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. Source
What was your biggest takeaway from this episode? Help yourself remember and share it with others by making a comment about it here below.
Kevin Humphreys is an experienced military and EMS pilot who bounced back from a period of mental illness and is now an ambassador for a number of mental health organisations.
Kevin Humphreys is a veteran of a number of overseas military deployments on Blackhawk and Chinook, currently a check and training pilot on AW139 helicopters and an ambassador for a number of mental health charities. He joins us in the interview today to share some of his flying experiences and his personal story of struggling with and overcoming an episode of mental illness.
With almost half of Australian adults estimated to experience a mental disorder at some time in their life it would be ludicrous to suggest that it is not something that would impact on the helicopter aircrew population.
This is part one of a two part interview. I’ll update this blog post with a link to the second half once it is published. Part 1/this episode is more focused on Kevin’s career and deployments which establishes the context for much of the mental health discussion in part 2.
Kandahar, AFG – Ready for departure, CH-47D with AH-64 escort
Kevin graduated from the Australian Army’s officer training course at Duntroon in Canberra before being posted to Point Cook, Victoria for initial flying training. He flew with the Australian Army throughout the 90s and 2000s, flying Blackhawk and Chinook types and serving up until 2011.
Video Extract “From the Shadows: Australia’s Special Forces” where Kevin talks about flying in Afghanistan.
He discusses a number of deployments to East Timor, one to Iraq and then a number to Afghanistan with some of the lessons learnt from each along with some of the organisational and operational challenges at the time. Kevin also re-tells the events around OP NILE which was a multi-national, joint operation involving Australian Chinooks, Canadian special forces, Afghan forces, Dutch Apaches, a US AC-130 and predator UAVs.
They said a rocket propelled grenade passed under us and another RPG went over the top while we were on approach
C Sqn, 5 Avn Regt just prior to Afghanistan deployment 2006 – Kevin as Officer Commanding in front.
We don’t spend a lot of time talking about Kevin’s post military flying career in rescue and the medical transport roles but he has held job titles along the way of – check and training captain, director of operations and chief pilot roles. Additional aircraft types are BK117, Bell 412 and AW139.
Outside of flying and on the mental health side of things Kevin is a speaker for BeyondBlue and a community ambassador for both the Mates4Mates program and the RUOK charity.
Kevin Humphreys with a QLD Government Air Wing Bell 412 on top of the Mater Hospital, Brisbane
Kevin suffered from anxiety for many years, PTSD, turned to alcohol abuse and eventually reached a point of mental breakdown where he finally was given support. From here he started the long process of recovery and return to work. He is very open about his experiences and displays an incredible vulnerability and courage to talk about it in the second part of this interview (Episode 71) with the aim of helping anyone else that might be in the position he was and to help normalise the conversation.
One of Kevin’s messages is that mental health is a spectrum – no different from physical fitness – that there are times when we are very mentally fit and other times when we are mentally out of condition and need some more mental ‘pushups/exercise’ to get back into condition. The sooner the intervention and positive addressing of any issues the quicker the rebound is.
It is by no means a career ending event for aircrew and if we are trying to be professional aviators then it’s a topic that needs to be more widely discussed.
A number of links are provided below to mental health resources for anyone looking to take advantage of them.
GENERAL COMMUNITY Mental Health Support Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health R U OK? – suicide prevention charity that aims to start life-changing conversations Moodgym – online self-help program designed to help prevent and manage symptoms of depression and anxiety. Free for Australians. Beyond Blue – information and support to help everyone achieve their best possible mental health Be a Looper APP – App that keeps you in contact with up to 5 people for regular check-ins, peer support that is unique to you
AVIATION SPECIFIC Mental Health Support CASA Fact Sheet on Depression and Aviation Safety
Australian Federation of Air Pilots – Welfare Services
Kevin unveiling the plaque to name the Australian base at Kandahar CAMP BAKER in honour of CPL Mick Baker who was the loadmaster killed in the Black Hawk crash (Townsville, Australia) in Jun 96
A15-104 was callsign Patriot 47 captained by Kevin on OP NILE – one of two Australian Army chinooks taking part in a special forces operation in Afghanistan
CH-47 Chinook dust landing examples in Afghanistan
Have a comment or feedback about Episode 70? A question for Kevin or a good resource to add to the list? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.
Mark Turner was a rescue wireman during the 2011 Brisbane Floods
“On 9th and 10th of January 2011, heavy rainfall caused flash flooding to occur across parts of Queensland resulting in widespread damage to property and 35 fatalities. Grantham, Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba were severely impacted. Due to landslides caused by flooding, and water blocking the Warrego highway, the Lockyer Valley became isolated; police and emergency services were no longer able to access the area. Excessive fog and rain prevented helicopters flying overhead during the emergency.”
“Emergency services were overwhelmed during the disaster. Triple zero operators advised people to stay indoors to avoid being swept away.
… on a typical Monday the 000 line in Toowoomba receives about 60 calls, on this day 883 such calls were received.” – Source
Mark Turner on one of the 28 rescues conducted by his crew over 2 hours on 10 Jan 2018
Despite what the extract above says helicopters did indeed fly in extremely poor weather and conducted a large number of rescues off house roofs and emergency evacuations of towns in the way of the flooding.
In this episode we hear from 3 of the aircrew involved and the different perspectives of each of their crews as the emergency unfolded.
Mark Turner was the rescue wireman in the Queensland Government AW139 Callsign Rescue 500 which was the first rescue machine on the scene in the afternoon of 10 January at the township of Grantham. “Horrendous” weather forced them to scud run at low level to reach the town they were greeted by streets awash with fast running flood waters and residents stranded on roof tops. Over 2 hours of hoisting operations 28 people and a cat were rescued and moved to dry land.
Next on the scene was Rescue 510, another AW139 with Brett Knowles onboard as a crewman. They relieved the Rescue 500 crew who landed with minimal fuel reserves. Brett’s crew then continued into the late afternoon and evening conducting winch operations by searchlight unaided. Another 15 people were rescued.
The next morning 2 Blackhawks departed Oakey to the west of the area under IFR conditions and managed to break visual near Amberley Air Force Base. Nathan Coyle was the Captain of the second Blackhawk and he talks about the experiences of his crew on the 2nd day including a harrowing rescue conducted on NVGs next to a live powerline.
All their operations would have been pretty heroic on any normal day but the weather they were operating in deserves special mention. The graph below shows rainfall on the days in question with many places receiving all time record breaking amounts. The videos below give some additional indication of the conditions encountered.
“I have been flying for 12 years and that’s the worst I have seen it – terrible visibility and for the pilots it was incredibly hard to navigate” – WO2 Tony Young
The pilots had to rely on their personal phones and Google maps to navigate in a number of cases due to the flood waters obscuring roads and landmarks.
MAJ Nathan Coyle was Aircraft Captain of a Blackhawk responding to the flood event.
Brett Knowles (second from right) with members of Emergency Management Queensland helicopter crew. Centre is Peter Row who was Brett’s pilot during the flood event.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVJ5eG8C08I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fziBzOZO3Dk
Mark Turner at rear. Several survivors in front of the Rescue 500 helicopter that was first on the scene in Gratham.
Army Blackhawk crews with Prime Minister Julia Gillard
SeaKing in rain at Gatton on 11 Jan 2011
Do you have a question for Mark, Brett or Nathan? Were you flying during the flooding and want to share your experiences? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.
Matt Barker flew the ARH Tiger for 11 years and wrote many of the manuals and procedures for its use in the Australian Army.
During 30 years of flying with the Australian Army Matt Barker has got to try his hand at a wide range of roles. He has picked up some tales of close calls and funny incidents along the way.
Episode 55 contains the first half of this interview which is also well worth listening too
In the 1980’s the RAAF was directed to transfer its helicopters to the Australian Army. This brought about an urgent need for the Army to increase their pilot recruiting numbers. At that time it would take 18 months of officer training and then another 12-18 months of flight training to get a new pilot to an operational unit. That was a lag time the Army couldn’t afford and the Special Service Officer (SSO) scheme was started which saw new recruits put through a 10 week abridged officer training course (commonly called a Knife, Fork and Spoon course) then straight into flight training.
Matt Barker was on this first SSO course through and shares some of the cultural interplay between these new officers and the rest of the Army. Going into the training he already had his commercial licence flown on R22, Bell 47 G2 and G4 models.
30 years later and Matt has flow Kiowa, Blackhawk, AS350 Squirrel, Tiger and MRH. He is an instructor, has flown Special Operations and was the Standards Officer in charge of developing the operating procedures for Tiger in Australian service from a blank piece of paper.
Flying between buildings while displaying Tiger at the Gold Coast Indy car Race
He has spent time flying over many parts of Australia, PNG, Timor and done stints in the UK, France and the US.
Thanks to Craig Bowman for the introduction to Matt and for feeding me some starting info to tease out the stories from Matt.
Parade to mark the changing of the guard from light horse cavalry to the ARH Tiger.
05 Oct 1987 – Joined Australian Army on Number 1 SSO Pilot course (46 Army Pilot course)
Jan – Jun 1988 – Basic Pilot course on CT4 at No 1 Flying Training School at RAAF Base Point Cook
Jul – Dec 1988 – Rotary wing course at SAA Oakey on B206 Kiowa
Dec 88 – Jan 91- Posted to 161 Recce Sqn at Holsworthy as a pilot on B206 Kiowa
Jan 91 – Oct 91 – Posted to Instructor training with US Army at Fort Rucker on OH58 Kiowa
Oct 91 – Oct 94 – QFI at ADF Helicopter School on AS350 Squirrel
Oct 94 – Jan 95 – S70 Blackhawk conversion course at SAA
Feb 95 – Dec 97 – Pilot, troop commander and SQN QFI at A SQN, 5 Aviation Regiment at RAAF Townsville
Jan 98 – Jun 2000 – QFI and troop commander at ADF Helicopter School on AS350 Squirrel
Jul 00 – Dec 2002 – SQN QFI at 161 Recce SQN at RAAF Darwin. Two stints in East Timor as Troop Commander and Detachment Commander
Jan 03 – Dec 09 – ARH Tiger Flying Standards Officer, posted to Eurocopter Marignane France 2004/05 and AAVNTC Oakey
Jan 10 – Dec 11 – ARH Tiger Instructor Development Officer, Instructor Training Wing, AAVNTC Oakey
Jan 12 – Dec 12 – Flying Standards Officer for ARH Tiger at 1 Aviation Regiment Darwin
Jan 13 – Jul 14 – ARH Tiger QFI with KBR at SAA Oakey
31 Jan 2014 – Transferred from full time to active reserve in the Australian Army
Jul 14 – Present – MRH90 Taipan QFI with Airbus at SAA Oakey.
In this episode:
Heli-Expo 2017 recap
The Chickenbone or Chicken Man story
1996 Blackhawk Crash – counterterrorism role
Dealing with the aftermath of the crash
Instructing
East Timor flying for Category D pilots
Tiger ARH introduction to Australian Army
Huey gunship introduction to armed role
Marine Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course – 160 Marines and 1 Aussie, 80 aircraft
UK Apache Sqn for several months
France to Airbus Tiger training school
Writing procedures for Tiger standards manual
Accidental jettison of 7-shot rocket launcher from Tiger
Introduction to Service parade – risk management plan for helicopters and horses
Matt Barker and Eurocopter Instructor – Fabrice Bonne, back in Australia, November 2005, finishing ARH Conversion course
[leadplayer_vid id=”58C5F3763C9AD”]
[Video] Marine Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course that Matt attended as preparation for writing the manuals for Tiger. He also spent some time in the UK with their Apache training school.
Site of the 1996 crash where two blackhawks collided on approach during counterterrorism training. 18 people were killed. Matt and his crew were directly behind the two aircraft when they hit.
Kiowas were used extensively to monitor the Indonesian – East Timor border. This photo was taken in 2002 of Matt while on a pairs reconnaissance mission.
“Last bush Trip – Leaving Woomera October 2012 on a RAAF Hercules”
Do you have a question for Matt or about something mentioned in the episode that you want to ask? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.
Matt Barker in front of an Australian Army Tiger which he helped develop the operating procedures for.
During 30 years of flying with the Australian Army Matt Barker has got to try his hand at a wide range of roles. He has picked up some tales of close calls and funny incidents along the way.
In the 1980’s the RAAF was directed to transfer its helicopters to the Australian Army. This brought about an urgent need for the Army to increase their pilot recruiting numbers. At that time it would take 18 months of officer training and then another 12-18 months of flight training to get a new pilot to an operational unit. That was a lag time the Army couldn’t afford and the Special Service Officer (SSO) scheme was started which saw new recruits put through a 10 week abridged officer training course (commonly called a Knife, Fork and Spoon course) then straight into flight training.
Matt Barker was on this first SSO course through and shares some of the cultural interplay between these new officers and the rest of the Army. Going into the training he already had his commercial licence flown on R22, Bell 47 G2 and G4 models.
30 years later and Matt has flow Kiowa, Blackhawk, AS350 Squirrel, Tiger and MRH. He is an instructor, has flown Special Operations and was the Standards Officer in charge of developing the operating procedures for Tiger in Australian service from a blank piece of paper.
He has spent time flying over many parts of Australia, PNG, Timor and done stints in the UK, France and the US.
Thanks to Craig Bowman for the introduction to Matt and for feeding me some starting info to tease out the stories from Matt.
SOURCE: Australian Aviation The ARH Tiger takes off with the Kiowa following close behind. Mid Caption: 1st Aviation Regiment, Northern Territory, bid a final farewell to the Kiowa on Monday 26 October 2009. A formation of Kiowas, escorted by the ARH Tiger, conducted a fly-over of Darwin. The farewell and flypast departed from 1st Aviation Regiment, Gaza Lines, Robertson Barracks. They flew to Lee Point and then followed the coast to Palmerston and then returned to Robertson Barracks. The B206B-1 Kiowa departed the 1st Aviation Regiment and Darwin for the last time on the 27th October 2009. The aircraft has operated in the Northern Territory since the early 1970s and have been based in Darwin since November 1994. The departure of the Kiowas from 1st Aviation Regiment is a significant milestone in the introduction of the ARH Tiger. 1st Aviation Regiment will now focus on the introduction into service of the ARH Tiger from its home base at Robertson Barracks.
05 Oct 1987 – Joined Australian Army on Number 1 SSO Pilot course (46 Army Pilot course)
Jan – Jun 1988 – Basic Pilot course on CT4 at No 1 Flying Training School at RAAF Base Point Cook
Jul – Dec 1988 – Rotary wing course at SAA Oakey on B206 Kiowa
Dec 88 – Jan 91- Posted to 161 Recce Sqn at Holsworthy as a pilot on B206 Kiowa
Jan 91 – Oct 91 – Posted to Instructor training with US Army at Fort Rucker on OH58 Kiowa
Oct 91 – Oct 94 – QFI at ADF Helicopter School on AS350 Squirrel
Oct 94 – Jan 95 – S70 Blackhawk conversion course at SAA
Feb 95 – Dec 97 – Pilot, troop commander and SQN QFI at A SQN, 5 Aviation Regiment at RAAF Townsville
Jan 98 – Jun 2000 – QFI and troop commander at ADF Helicopter School on AS350 Squirrel
Jul 00 – Dec 2002 – SQN QFI at 161 Recce SQN at RAAF Darwin. Two stints in East Timor as Troop Commander and Detachment Commander
Jan 03 – Dec 09 – ARH Tiger Flying Standards Officer, posted to Eurocopter Marignane France 2004/05 and AAVNTC Oakey
Jan 10 – Dec 11 – ARH Tiger Instructor Development Officer, Instructor Training Wing, AAVNTC Oakey
Jan 12 – Dec 12 – Flying Standards Officer for ARH Tiger at 1 Aviation Regiment Darwin
Jan 13 – Jul 14 – ARH Tiger QFI with KBR at SAA Oakey
31 Jan 2014 – Transferred from full time to active reserve in the Australian Army
Jul 14 – Present – MRH90 Taipan QFI with Airbus at SAA Oakey.
In this episode:
Punching a nanna while on a joyflight
Deer hunting in NZ using MD500’s ‘coolest thing ever seen’ – was initial reason for wanting to fly helicopters
Special Service Officer (SSO) pilot course
First SSO pilot to SQN
Recruiting video for Royal Military College
Chip light over Sydney nude
Katherine Bachelors and Spinster’s Ball
Passing out on approach to RAAF base Tindal
Field promotion for maintainer
T-aid night approaches
Night flying training
Introduction of NVGs – black tape and cyalume sticks
Melbourne to Sydney Kiowa flight – IIMC, QANTAS jets, low fuel and lions
Matt Barker and Tiger HAP 004 – starting Tiger Conversion Course on the French HAP Tiger, Marignane France, Jan 2005
[leadplayer_vid id=”58BCBC7F475F7″]
[Video] Australian Army Tiger and MRH that Matt Barker flies.
The African Lion Safari was a zoo in the western suburbs of Sydney that closed in 1991. It was still operating when Matt landed there in a Kiowa with no doors on during bad weather.
Matt and the mighty Kiowa, Suai East Timor 2002 with 161 Recce SQN
“Saying happy birthday to my daughter while in East Timor 2002, using a RNZAF 3 Squadron Huey (that’s me in the door).” – Matt
Do you have a question for Matt or about something mentioned in the episode that you want to ask? Be part of the conversation by leaving a comment below.
