Regional Skills Keeping Australia's Regional Skies Safe

Regional Skills Keeping Australia's Regional Skies Safe

Airservices schedule of inspecting and maintaining regional navigation equipment will remain on course next month with the help of regional technical skills training and development programs.

These inspections are part of a three year rotational program in which all of the 500 plus navigational aids installed and maintained by Airservices are inspected.

With one-third of Airservices technical maintenance staff expected to retire over the next five years the challenge is to maintain this inspection schedule.

As part of a $2.4 million investment by Airservices, new trainees based at Wagga Wagga TAFE will learn skills required to assist the Flight Inspection Service (FIS) to collect airborne data.

Trainees will also experience the assessment and analysis of data by maintenance and engineering staff to ensure that each navigation aid is calibrated, accurate and serviceable.

The service is scheduled to undertake 23 separate flight inspections in July on equipment at:

* NT Ayres Rock, Simpsons Gap, Temple Bar, Alice Springs, Wallaby
* NSW Brewarrina, Mt Hope
* WA Esperance, Albany, Parkerville, Caversham, Beermullah, Perth, Jurien Bay, Ballidu, Kalgoorlie, Warburton, Giles
* SA Moomba
* QLD Charleville, Brymaroo, Brisbane, Maroochydore

Airservices spokesman Rob Walker said the skill-based funding represented a significant commitment to regional skills development and ensuring the future of Australia's air navigation system.

The equipment being inspected and tested includes instrument landing systems (ILS), distance measuring equipment (DME), non-directional beacons (NDB) and VHF omni range (VOR) navigation aids plus surveillance radars.

For media enquiries or an image of the King Air and its equipment please call Ph: +61 2 6257 2828 or
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Airservices Australia is a Government owned organisation responsible for the safe and efficient management of air traffic across 11 per cent of the world's air space. Services include air traffic control, airspace management, aeronautical information, radar communications, radio navigation aids, aviation maintenance and engineering, environmental management and aviation rescue and firefighting.


SOURCE: Airservices Australia