Special Thanks to Army Flying Museum at Oakey

Note: In part 2, regards the Caribou life out of Telefomin in PNG – the Chinook was captained by SQNLD Ted Bach and co-pilot was Darryl Willcocks. They lifted to Wewak with 2 fuel stops en-route to MAUW with a max speed of 40Kts and high fuel burn.

Jokko, Dave Ozanne and Keith Jurd went to Wewak in early Dec 78 to put the Caribou on the back of HMAS Jervis Bay.  Jok and Dave flew to sortie onto the ship. Dave Ozanne (Capt) and Keith Jurd lifted the Caribou from a lighter in SYD Harbour and took it to Bankstown on 20 Dec 78. I recall there was some delay caused by a Union dispute over who was allowed to rig and lift the caribou from the ship to the lighter.

[from a discussion on Facebook]

Biographies

David “Hendo” Henderson

  • Joined RAAF in 1976 after completing Degree in Mechanical Engineering at QIT (now QUT)
  • Posted to 12 Sqn off Pilot’s Course (after doing a Iroquois conversion at 5 SQN)
  • Flew Chooks from 1978 to 1981. (908.1 hrs Chook)
  • Posted as Rotary Wing Project Officer to Air Movements Training and Development Unit (AMTDU)
  • Posted to Instructors Course (East Sale) and instructed on Macchis at RAAF Pearce (April 83 – Jun 86)
  • Posted back to 12 SQN, Promoted to SQNLDR and became Training Flt Commander and later Executive Officer (XO) of 12 SQN.
  • Squadron shut down in 1989. During second tour flew 713.3 Hrs for a total of 1621.4 hrs CH47.
  • Following 12 SQN, posted to STANDO and and later Chief Flying Instructor (CFI) at 1 Flying Training School RAAF Williams (Point Cook), Senior Recruiting Officer for NSW, promoted WGCDR, Navy Staff College, Operations Officer RAAF Darwin, Divisional Air Liaison Officer (DALO) at HQ 1 Division. Appointed as Head of Plans for INTERFET in East Timor.
  • Transferred to RAAF Reserve 2001, wrote doctrine for HQ Air command until retiring in 2017 as WGCDR.
  • Total service 42 Years.
 
 
Peter “Brum” Watson
  • Started in the RAAF Academy 1971
  • Graduated 95 Pilots Cse 1976
  • Started 5Sqn
  • Posted Sinai with the UN 1977
  • Posted SAR Flt Williamtown for a few months
  • Posted 12Sqn July 1978
  • Posted OTS ground job Jan 1981
  • Posted 2FTS Jan 1983 Macchi Flying Instructor
  • Posted Sinai MFO 1985
  • Resigned December 1986 as a Squadron Leader.
  • QANTAS for 20 years
  • Joined Boeing Defence Australia Sep 2012
  • Contract ended Oct 2018
  • Joined CAE at Oakey as a MRH90 SIM instructor Mar 2022 to date.
 

Shane “CAVOK” Fairweather

Shane Fairweather is acting Deputy Secretary of the Capability Acquisition and Sustainment Group (CASG).

Shane has more than 30 years of experience in Defence and Defence industry, leading teams within global businesses, and serving within the Royal Australian Air Force. Shane started his Defence career in 1985 and served 13 years in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). He completed operational tours on CH-47 Chinook and C130-H Hercules, logging over 5000 flight hours. Shane is a Qualified Flying Instructor and spent four years instructing at the 2FTS at RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia. Shane substantively holds the role of First Assistant Secretary Rotary, Aerospace and Surveillance Systems within CASG.

Prior to joining CASG, Shane was General Manager – Emerging Business for QinetiQ Australia. He joined QinetiQ in 2015 as the Strategy and Business Development Director and was appointed as General Manager Emerging Business in January 2017. In these roles, Shane was responsible for establishing the core strategy and led a large dedicated campaign team to pursue a portfolio of significant and complex growth opportunities for the company.

Prior to joining QinetiQ Australia, Shane served in a variety of increasingly responsible positions including BAE Systems Program Manager for the Bahrain Hawk Program; head of the multi-billion dollar Project Salam for the establishment of the Eurofighter capability in Saudi Arabia, Boeing Defence Australia Senior Manager – Program Management and Raytheon Australia Business Development Director – Aerospace. Shane holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, a Master’s Degree in Capital Equipment Procurement and an Executive Master’s Degree in Complex Project Management. He has also completed extensive management training and leadership development courses.

 
Peter Barrett
  • Joined the RAAF in August 1974 as a Direct Entry Cadet.
  • No 93 Pilots course (Winjeel and Macchi), graduated from Pearce November 1975.
  • Iroquois conversion at 5 Sqn, Canberra early 1976.
  • Arrived 9 Sqn Amberley in April 1976.
  • Deployed to all mainland states and territories during my time at 9 Sqn, as well as Indonesia in September 1976 for a large survey operation covering West Irian.  Then spent six months in the Sinai (UNEF II) from November 1976 to June 1977.
  • Posted to Joint Intelligence Organisation, Canberra from January 1979 to December 1980.
  • QFI on Macchis at Pearce 1981-1982.
  • Posted to 12 Sqn Amberley as a pilot and then a QFI from December 1982 to February 1985.  Deployments included a couple to PNG, Roebourne in WA for Exercise Kangaroo 83, a few to Shoalwater Bay and lots to various locations up and down the eastern side of Australia.
  • Posted to CFS at East Sale from 1985-1990 as a QFI on Macchi, CT4 and PC9, then as the A Flt Cdr, the Chief Flying Instructor and lastly as Roulette 5 and Roulette Leader.
  • Air Intelligence Centre, AHQ Glenbrook 1991-1992.
  • RAF Staff College, Bracknell UK 1993.
  • HQ Training Command, Point Cook as Staff Officer Air Training from January 1994 to September 1996.
  • Then left the RAAF after 22 years as a Wing Commander.
  • I have around 5,800 military flying hours.  This includes 1,400 hours in the Iroquois, around 700 in the Chinook, 360 in the CT4, 1,500 in the Macchi and 1,600 in the PC9.
  • Post-RAAF, I worked for BAE Systems Australia in Saudi Arabia as an Ops Manager and then a base General Manager from 1996 to 2014.
  • Now retired.
Brian “Bluggy” Lugg

After completing 28 Academy Course in 1978, Brian completed 107 Pilot’s Course and trained as an Iroquois pilot in 1980. Service with 35 Sqn in Townsville and SAR Darwin, with two tours with the MFO in the Sinai. Joining 12 Sqn in 1985, Brian transferred to Army Aviation in 1987, while continuing to serve with 12 Sqn until April 1988, an Army Captain flying CH-47C. He separated from the Army as a Major in 1997 after 23 years of service in military rotary wing aviation. Brian has been associated with the training of Army multi-engine helicopter pilots since the introduction of the Black Hawk to Army Aviation. He was selected as the QFI to head the training of pilots and flight engineers for the re-introduction of the Chinook into military service in 1994, developing and conducting the Army’s first flight simulator based pilot qualification courses. This lead to the award of an A1 Instructors Rating on the CH-47D, only the second award in Army Aviation history of this highest possible Instructor Rating.

Following separation from the Army, Brian worked as a civilian QFI at the School of Army Aviation on the Black Hawk from 1997 to 2001. In 2001 he moved to Nowra to assist with the introduction of the Super Seasprite helicopter into service, completing a conversion onto type at the Kaman plant in Connecticut, USA. In 2004, Brian returned to Oakey as a civilian Black Hawk QFI. At Army’s request, he re-joined in 2005, requalified as a Chinook QFI, and prepared Army pilots for deployment using CH-47 Flight Simulators in the USA and UK. He deployed with the first Australian Chinook rotation into Afghanistan, and served two combat tours as unit QFI and Combat Captain in Afghanistan in 2006. He returned to Australia in 2007 to take up the post of Black Hawk Senior Flying Instructor at the Army Helicopter School, Oakey as a civilian contractor, a position he held until termination of Black Hawk training in 2013. He converted to the MRH 90 Taipan on its introduction to service, and conducted QFI training on the MRH 90 until retirement in 2020.

  • January 13 – June 20:  Civilian, Instructor MRH Taipan, Oakey, QLD
  • June 06 – December 13:  Civilian, Senior Instructor Black Hawk, Oakey, QLD
  • July 05 – December 06: Army Chinook Pilot and QFI, 2 Combat Tours Afghanistan, Flight Sim Combat Prep in USA and UK, C Sqn and TF 633.7, AAAvn
  • January 04 – July 05: Civil Contractor Black Hawk QFI, Oakey, QLD
  • July 01 – December 03: Civil Contractor Super Seasprite Pilot Trainer, Nowra, NSW
  • February 97 – June 01: Civil Contractor Black Hawk QFI, Oakey, QLD
  • February 94 – December 96: Army CH-47D QFI, C Sqn, 5 Avn Regt, Townsville.
  • May 88 – January 94: Army Black Hawk Pilot and QFI, 5 Avn Regt and AAvnTC, AAAvn.
  • October 87: Transfer from RAAF to AAAvn
  • September 85 – April 88: CH-47C Pilot, 12 Sqn, RAAF
  • January 80 – May 85: UH-1 Pilot, 35 Sqn, SAR Darwin and MFO Sinai, RAAF
  • January 79 – December 79: No. 107 Pilots Course, RAAF
  • January 75 – December 78: No. 28 RAAF Academy Course, RAAF