66 AUSTRALIAN AVIATION
workforce were the crown jewels of the
Fleet Air Arm.
“AMAFTU develops the limits by
which we operate our aircraft and
the instructors ensure we imbue the
skills and culture to stay within those
limits. Together they give you a good
airworthy and safe system in the
military environment,” he said.
That’s resulted in a very
comprehensive pilot training system.
Anyone aspiring to fly helicopters for
the Navy must first pass the full RAAF
initial flight training course.
So by the time a pilot starts initial
Navy helicopter training, he or she
already has their wings.
CDRE Smallhorn said it was done
that way for a couple of reasons.
Seahawk and its successor the
Romeo are both single-pilot aircraft
and Navy deployments typically
involve a small group operating from
the back of a ship for six-nine months
far from home base.
“We need to train a very mature
aviator. You put them out on our ships
and we are well aware of how rapidly
an environment can change and lose
its seamless integrity if you have the
wrong sort of person,” he said.
“The way we develop our aviators
is not just about their professional
acumen. The 60 Romeo is in every
sense an aircraft equally as complex
and in some cases more complex from
a combat system perspective, than
your modern day fighter.
“What we are creating clearly has to
be somebody with great professional
and personal acumen. They roll out
of here as day/night, all weather
international captains. And that’s it.
It is the only place in Australia where
we train aircraft captains straight
from their conversion ready for day/
night international ops in all weather
conditions as well as in militarily
contested environments.”
Both Squirrel and Seahawk have
reached a well-earned retirement.
The last Seahawk made its last
flight from Nowra to Canberra
on December 4, landing at the
showgrounds, from where it was
transported by road to the Australian
War Memorial’s nearby storage
facility. This machine, Seahawk 872
(serial N24-003) was involved in
the 2004 rescue of American sailorsfollowing the terrorist attack on the
Iraqi oil terminals.
Squirrel N22-017 was delivered to
the War Memorial in August. The two
are set to be displayed together.
In service, the Seahawks featured
advanced weapons and sensors which
were progressively updated. CDRE
Smallhorn understands it was the first
aircraft in Australia equipped with
a FLIR (forward looking infra-red)
sensor. Subsequently it was upgraded
with an advanced EO/IR (day and
night television), along with electronic
warfare and self protection systems.
He said the aircraft themselves
remain in excellent condition.
“If it wasn’t for the fact that you
can’t support most of the combat,
mission and avionics systems, there is
a lot of life left in them from a vehicle‘We need
to train a
very mature
aviator.’
CDRE CHRIS SMALLHORNThe Navy’s Squirrel and Army’s
Kiowa have both been replaced in
the pilot training role by the new
EC135.DEFENCE
Torpedo-armed Seahawks
off the coast of WA during a
2010 anti-submarine warfare
exercise.DEFENCE