Helicopter Rescues in Tasmania "2"

[FLICKIT]

If anyone wants to keep an eye on our rescue helicopters you can make a free account on Flight Aware, then at the right of the tracking page there's a "Get Alerts" link, if you click that you can set a "departing" alert so you get an email each time they take off:

Our 3 Kawasaki BK117 Westpac helicopters are:
VH-RSQ https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL71
VH-EMS https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL72
VH-HRT https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL73
The Bell 412EP Air Ambulance is:
VH-XCY https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AM78H
(you'll need to set an alert for each of them, and I think you can only have 4 alerts on a free account)

I started keeping an eye on them a few years back because I figure there's a good chance I'll have to set off my SPOT Tracker or PLB one day and it's nice to know what sort of weather they operate in, how fast they are to get to different areas, and such... (plus I like aircraft spotting when I'm bored)

I also use these two trackers at times, sometimes they'll show the aircraft better than FlightAware:
https://globe.adsbexchange.com/
https://www.flightradar24.com/-42.16,147.31/9

[Overlandman]

From Vigilante News

The Tasmania Police Westpac rescue helicopter is currently attending a area near Mt Wellington in regards to a missing walker. The helicopter was earlier activated to a search and medivac at the Dial Range, Penguin.

[FLICKIT]

This morning Westpac POL71 transferred someone from around High Moor camp to the RHH:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 0146.30016

[Overlandman]

From vigilante news

The Westpac rescue helicopter has been activated to Mt Wellington looking for a missing bushwalker.

[FLICKIT]

From vigilante news

The Westpac rescue helicopter has been activated to Mt Wellington looking for a missing bushwalker.

It looks like it was around Big Bend trail, they just headed back to the airport:

[FLICKIT]

Westpac POL73 was up around Ducane/KiaOra area tonight...
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 0146.10124

It returned to Hobart airport so I assume it was nothing too serious...

[FLICKIT]

It looks like Westpac-POL71 transported someone from Munro Hut on the Cape Pillar track back to the Hobart Airport this morning:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... /YMHB/YMHB (edited link)

POL71Munroe.jpg (148.1 KiB) Viewed 26958 times

[north-north-west]

It looks like Westpac-POL71 transported someone from Munro Hut on the Cape Pillar track back to the Hobart Airport this morning:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 2312Z/YMHB

That will not have been fun. Weather's been off and on all day and it's *&%$#! windy out there.

[FLICKIT]

That will not have been fun. Weather's been off and on all day and it's *&%$#! windy out there.

At least there's a heli-pad down there so I assume they didn't need winching up...

[Overlandman]

From Tasmania police
A search is being conducted in the Lake Rho a area, where a well equipped bushwalker is stranded due to the rising river.

The male bushwalker, aged in his 30s, commenced a walk in the area on Saturday, and was due to return yesterday (Tuesday) at midday. When he didn’t return, a concern for welfare was reported to police.

“The man, who is equipped with food, clothing, and a tent, was located this morning by a Search and Rescue ground crew, on the opposite side of a rising river to the man.

“Ground crews are in contact with the man and he will be extracted when the weather permits for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to safely fly in the area.”

[north-north-west]

Anyone who went into Rhona on Saturday, considering the forecast and subsequent weather, deserves to be left until they're reduced to eating their shoes.

[lefroy]

Haha true

[Tazz81]

Hats off to him for managing to get across the river on Saturday. Was probably well above the tree after all the rain a couple of weeks ago. That being said (and I’ll just clip my helmet on now ready for the rocks) - these instagramable locations are attracting the clueless novice who are putting themselves and the lives of those that have to rescue them at risk. Does it get to the point whereby a boom gate is erected on Tiger Rd that’s closed when there’s forecast rain? It’s possibly the only way to protect an idiot from themselves…..

[FLICKIT]

Anyone who went into Rhona on Saturday, considering the forecast and subsequent weather, deserves to be left until they're reduced to eating their shoes.

I agree... On the upside at least he didn't try crossing the river, I imagine it's fairly nasty at the moment..

It looks like the rain has been fairly constant out there since Sunday afternoon, ~100mm:
https://www.hydro.com.au/water/water-fl ... tineRv.pdf

FlozRain.jpg (111.08 KiB) Viewed 26706 times

[lefroy]

I agree that similar to Adams field etc, a boom gate is the only thing that can save Lake Rhona. Makes it hard for those continuing on etc to get a booking though

[Overlandman]

Update, he was successfully rescued.

[TentPeg]

A bridge would be nice.

[north-north-west]

A bridge would be nice.

A bridge is not practical there. That river gets far too wide when it's running high. Besides, access is already too easy for such a sensitive place as Rhona and the Denisons; making it even easier is not a good idea.

[TentPeg]

I was at 'the log' a few years back. It was under water. There was a couple on the other side. They were waiting. Their medication was in their car. The only thing we could do was to contact parks to manage a rescue.
A bridge would be nice. It's a long river. There are plenty of appropriate places for a bridge.

[north-north-west]

And there are inappropriate places for easy access unless you put in enough iinfrastructure to protect them from the hordes of bucketlisters and wannabes. Yoou really want to see Rasselas and Rhona and the Denisons (Two out of) Three Caped? Because that is the inevitable end of a bridge.

Let wild places stay wild. They don't exist for us to play with. We need to learn to access them on their terms, not on ours.

[CBee]

Waiting for the waters to recede is a normal bushwalking practice.

[FLICKIT]

Westpac-POL71 headed up to lake St Clair around 9am... 3.5 hours later it just reappeared up near New Pelion Hut, probably safe to assume something is happening on the OLT, maybe a pickup at Windermere hut:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 0519/0225Z

Edit: They just landed at the RHH, I hope it's nothing too serious...

With the weather up there today I suspect the helicopter went up to Lake St Clair and sat there waiting for ~3 hours for the cloud to lift enough so they could make their way up the track...
Overland Track area: Cloudy. Very high (90%) chance of showers, becoming less likely this afternoon. Winds southwesterly 25 to 40 km/h decreasing to 20 to 30 km/h in the early afternoon.

[FLICKIT]

Westpac-POL71 is up at WOJ at the moment: (10am)
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 0146.30040

Edit: Returned to the RHH 11.30am.

[FLICKIT]

Busy day for Westpac-POL71, it's up around Wineglass Bay now:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 0148.27621

It looks like a pickup on the million steps between Wineglass Bay and the lookout...

Edit: They sat at the helipad up there for about an hour then returned to the airport around 4:30pm...

[taswegian]

@FLICKIT I'm curious what your post of Fri 13 May, 2022 11:59 pm has to do with Sheffield?
Looks ridiculous IMO

Mind you if I had those views from my lounge window I wouldn't be complaining Mt Roland does get referred to as Cradle Mt by some unsuspecting tourists.

I get a bit miffed with a lot of reporting by the media. Over the years a man died from a car crash ON Cradle Mountain!!
And if there's an incident anywhere from Forth to Erriba it's "at Cradle Mt"

[FLICKIT]

@FLICKIT I'm curious what your post of Fri 13 May, 2022 11:59 pm has to do with Sheffield?
Looks ridiculous IMO

I'm certainly no expert but this is what I believe..


The aircraft transmit an ADS-B signal which includes identification, GPS co-ord, speed, altitude and such.. I believe most aircraft tracking is done by these ADS-B transmissions these days rather than airport radars:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic ... 3Broadcast
https://www.casa.gov.au/search-centre/s ... -and-ads-b

These transmissions are received by ADS-B ground stations which are scattered around the place, airports and such, around Tassie they're few and far between... The transmissions from aircraft around the OLT area seem to be received by the Queenstown ground station when they're in the south, or Sheffield when further north, when the aircraft drop down into a valley or such and tracking is lost the tracking sites list their arrival/landing location as the location of the last ground station that received a transmission from the aircraft, which is why Sheffield is shown for so much of the OLT..

The tracking is good for aircraft at high altitude due to them having good line of sight to the ground stations, but down low when the aircraft are between mountains and such the tracking is fairly flakey, the weather seems to play a part also... Some days you can follow the helicopters on the tracking sites right to the helipads at the huts on the OLT, other days they vanish off the trackers as soon as they drop down between the mountains up there..

Edit: It looks like I might be wrong on this, it appears the landing/arrival location may just be listed as a nearby airport or airstrip, and not based on the last ground station to receive a transmission as I thought... Looking at the data from that flight you commented on it looks like the ADS-B transmissions were received by the Darlington/Maria Island ground station for most the flight, and then Zeehan towards the end:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/POL ... 4/tracklog

[taswegian]

Thanks FLICKIT.
I dug into those links you posted and found this comment "Last seen at 21:58 AEST near Sheffield, Australia"
That makes sense looking at that aerial overlay.
Out of context it looks odd but does make sense when in the know

[Overlandman]

One from Tasmania Police

Following a rescue at Mount Amos (Freycinet) yesterday, police are reminding people to never enter wilderness or alpine areas unless they are genuinely and suitably prepared and experienced.

Around 2.30pm two people stranded on a rock ledge were winched to safety by rescue members in the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

Entering alpine areas unprepared can be deadly - please do not put yourself and others at risk.

[L_Cham_67]

One from Tasmania Police

Following a rescue at Mount Amos (Freycinet) yesterday, police are reminding people to never enter wilderness or alpine areas unless they are genuinely and suitably prepared and experienced.

Entering alpine areas unprepared can be deadly - please do not put yourself and others at risk.

While I agree with the statement, it's a bit of a stretch to call Mt Amos an alpine region! Or wilderness for that matter.

[north-north-west]

While I agree with the statement, it's a bit of a stretch to call Mt Amos an alpine region! Or wilderness for that matter.

Yep, but it has a remarkably high rescue rate for such a short walk.