Fun times in the Simpson Desert
Posted: Fri 02 May, 2014 10:32 amThree dirt bikers from Victoria. One hurts his back. PLB set off by them. Thrice they ignore contents of a survival kit dropped from a fixed-wing aircraft.
In the defence of the motorcyclists, it appears that the containers did not say 'Water inside' or 'Open here', surely?
I have MTB'd Cape York alone in the low season, crewed yachts short-handed between Hobart and Central Queensland, and once flew light aircraft - but I do not know what a formalised/authorised survival kit looks like. Yet it my understanding that anything thrown from an aircraft will have a line of communication to the victim - even if it is a duplicated hand-written note. They should have opened the first container.
In their situation, I would have one turn around and back-track, riding conservatively, for help... unless they had assisted each other to climb endless dunes to get to where they had to stop due to the accident.
They are being criticised due to their not carrying a satellite phone and a near out-of-date PLB (yet it was utilised successfully), and for not having 4WD support - but I have seen several 'bikes with a 5L jerry of water on one front fork, and a 5L jerry of petrol on the other.
The plane dropped survival kits containing water, food, a satellite phone and radio to the bikers. “These containers have got smoke coming out of them to attract attention, they’ve got flashing lights and they also make a siren-type noise,” Constable McShane said.
“So they dropped one container and two of the men walked over looked at it and then went back to camp. So the plane went back again and dropped another container, but the same thing happened.” After dropping a third container, the plane crew gave up.
“The men didn’t even look inside the containers, which would have been handy for them, because it would have opened up lines of communication with Search and Rescue,” Constable McShane said.
“They thought it was the rescuers dropping things so they would know that help was coming.”
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... z30VtL74X6
In the defence of the motorcyclists, it appears that the containers did not say 'Water inside' or 'Open here', surely?
I have MTB'd Cape York alone in the low season, crewed yachts short-handed between Hobart and Central Queensland, and once flew light aircraft - but I do not know what a formalised/authorised survival kit looks like. Yet it my understanding that anything thrown from an aircraft will have a line of communication to the victim - even if it is a duplicated hand-written note. They should have opened the first container.
In their situation, I would have one turn around and back-track, riding conservatively, for help... unless they had assisted each other to climb endless dunes to get to where they had to stop due to the accident.
They are being criticised due to their not carrying a satellite phone and a near out-of-date PLB (yet it was utilised successfully), and for not having 4WD support - but I have seen several 'bikes with a 5L jerry of water on one front fork, and a 5L jerry of petrol on the other.
The plane dropped survival kits containing water, food, a satellite phone and radio to the bikers. “These containers have got smoke coming out of them to attract attention, they’ve got flashing lights and they also make a siren-type noise,” Constable McShane said.
“So they dropped one container and two of the men walked over looked at it and then went back to camp. So the plane went back again and dropped another container, but the same thing happened.” After dropping a third container, the plane crew gave up.
“The men didn’t even look inside the containers, which would have been handy for them, because it would have opened up lines of communication with Search and Rescue,” Constable McShane said.
“They thought it was the rescuers dropping things so they would know that help was coming.”
http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensl ... z30VtL74X6
