GREG Causer often wonders how he, a boy from Thuddungra, ended up working in Ireland, let alone flying an advanced helicopter over the Atlantic Ocean every week.
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But you can take the boy out of the country, but never the country out of the boy. This ace pilot regularly returns to Young where he visits his parents, Bill and Jean Causer, who still live in town.
Greg attended Christian Brothers College (now Hennessy Catholic College) and later Young High School. Growing up country, the flying bug didn’t take hold until he went to work in Sydney in the mid-80s.
It was while doing odd jobs in the floor-covering industry that he put his head down and studied for his private light-plane licence and then a commercial helicopter licence.
In the ensuing years Greg travelled far and wide, flying choppers working in each state or territory of Australia.
Greg says his flights are a little different, these days. And the technology’s grown more complex, too.
The helicopter company he works for - CHC Ireland - recently secured a 10-year contract with the Irish Coast Guard.
As part of the new deal, the company is introducing a new type of aircraft as part of an Irish government government-funded program to replace their aging helicopter search and rescue fleet.
The New Sikorsky S-92A Helicopter will mark a huge leap forward in technology at all four Irish Coast Guard bases.
According to Greg, the new S-92A helicopter - faster on-scene times, faster patient recovery times and great year-round capabilities - will help him do his job faster, over more of the country and with more lives saved.
The S-92A, he says, is equipped with enhanced rescue mission technology including infra-red and low light cameras - this includes a powerful Night-Sun Light to brighten search areas.
With dual rescue hoists and a full HEMS medical fit out, a satellite communications system with a flight tracking feature for added safety - the aircraft is designed to operate in severe weather and is certified to fly in icy conditions.
With ice being a constant danger, the S-92A has extra icing protection on the main and tail rotors and standard icing protection for the engine inlets, windshields and air data systems.
This, says Greg, is a great leap forward, as ice build-up on the outside of the helicopter or rotor blades increases the weight of the helicopter, making it harder to keep it in the air.
The challenge was to bring this new helicopter and its crew up to full operational capability.
“As you can imagine the training element has been a major part of this project,” says Greg.
Greg’s excited to use the new gadgets, but he has had to hit the books to do so.
“You never too old to learn something new,” he says.
The training program for the company’s helicopter engineers and crews started at the end of 2011 with staff travelling to numerous locations across Europe to gain experience on the new aircraft, before the first helicopter arrived in Ireland in early 2012.
The pilot training program was carried out at a state-of-the-art training facility at Farnborough Airport just outside London.
Each pilot had to complete a six week initial training course, followed by intensive sessions in a flight simulator to help them understand and master all of the aircraft’s operating systems.
“It was an intense time and each pilot had to attain a set standard before moving on to the aircraft,” Greg said.
The pilots then moved back to Ireland and started a four-week training program. Finally, they got their hands on the real aircraft, checking their systems and preparing for the program’s take-off.
This final stage saw the crews take form, with each member finding their groove as part of the larger team.
The fact that the new aircraft is a leap forward in technology meant the whole crew had a set program to complete on all the equipment fitted to the aircraft. So new gizmos like the 30-million candle power Night-sun or the Thermal imaging camera needed to be used by the crewmen under all conditions.
Fast forward 12 months and Greg says there are now three Irish Coast bases online with the New S-92A helicopter and a fourth soon to follow.
Each base has recorded more use of the helicopter fleet.
Greg is pleased to see the Irish Coast Guard is getting better bang for their buck. He sees his company’s deployment abroad as a win-win for his home country and his new.
