WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Nafenn wrote:

Magnus wrote:It can take up to 1 hour to get clearance out of YPPH because the choppers have to give way to heavies.

Really?

Emergency aircraft are (well, should be) given way 100% of the time at any airport and throughout any controll zone. If its not an emergency, they can wait - if there is a fire somewhere, ATC will get them out as quickly as possible. They aren't stupid enough to let a fire burn while choppers sit on the ground waiting for a clearance.

When RFDS and the Fire Bombers go into/out of jandakot - everything is moved to get them on the ground or in the air. The number of times i've been sent around or delayed on ground to let an RFDS plane land/takeoff has been countless.

for what i have heard they are given clearance straight away unless a heavy is on finals or about to depart. its pretty hard for a heavy to abort takeoff or landing to let a chopper take off for a fire. at jandakot it is a lot easier to clear the airspace for fixed wings and RFDS to get clearance. not as easy at Perth. i also heard that FESA or someone is trying to get Helicopters Australia (who has the helitacs contract to FESA) to move to Janakot for rapid deployment when required.

BuddahFRS wrote:for what i have heard they are given clearance straight away unless a heavy is on finals or about to depart. its pretty hard for a heavy to abort takeoff or landing to let a chopper take off for a fire. at jandakot it is a lot easier to clear the airspace for fixed wings and RFDS to get clearance. not as easy at Perth. i also heard that FESA or someone is trying to get Helicopters Australia (who has the helitacs contract to FESA) to move to Janakot for rapid deployment when required.

yeah, they will give way, but not abort a landing/takeoff usually (at perth that is, jandakot will make people go around, but not abort a takeoff)

magnus, someone is pulling your leg. Next time I am at work and they go, I will time them. Normal procedure is to start up and then they will call up atc for clearance and say helitac 668 and company req 20 miles 096 degrees. Atc will respond with the same and a squawk code along with sometime no ops above a certain height. Then they call ground after all the engine temps are in the green band and away they go. Taxi to twy whiskey x romeo and contact tower, then off they go. I have only seen a few times when they take a while to take off and sometimes that is due to possible return to base, which has happened a few times, or off they go ti a fire.

what squawk code do they have

Magnus wrote:

dlcat1 wrote:How much faster is the response if they are prestaged? I would have thought Perth to the hills or Baldivis would have only been a few minutes by air so I'm assuming staging them outside of Perth or Jandakot is so they can depart when they feel like it rather than waiting for clearance?

It can take up to 1 hour to get clearance out of YPPH because the choppers have to give way to heavies.

On the day, 681 was in Roleystone & two Squirrels in Bullsbrook. The other two Squirrels & Air Intel remained at the airport.

Our duties were to keep the aircraft safe, provide information to interested members of the public and clear the area in the case of deployment.

April fools day is still 4mths away!

Hardly a case where they would have to wait 1hr, it would be pointless basing them at YPPH if that was the case. Whilst they may have to await clearance from the Heavies, there are plenty of other flight paths the choppers can take that will aviod the flight plan of the fixed winged aircraft

My understanding is that the helitac's have to give way to heavy aircraft. They can, and have in the past, be held on the ground waiting for aircraft to land. I recall last fire season the helitacs were required urgently at a southern suburb fire, for asset protection. The IC asked for an ETA and the helitac's responded that they would be held on the ground for XX minutes (I think it was 10 - 15 minutes) waiting for clearance. The IC requested that they get permission to fly now, as houses would be lost (luckely they wern't). Helitac's came back and said they can not as taking off from an airport falls under a different legislation (I can not remember what legislation it was, but it was federal legislation), that the Fire Brigades Act has no influence over. Infact the Type 1 form Busselton arrived before the helitac's from Perth. Saying this I am not sure if the situation has changed for this season.

hold_3_n wrote:what squawk code do they have

Its given by ATC, and changes every flight

sq code is a 4 digit number that is given to an aircraft who is flying in controlled airspace, and that atc can track them and who they are. It changes every time.