ParkAir soars with training in Mogo

The NSW Government is investing nearly $150,000 to fund pilot and aircrew training for the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s (NPWS) ParkAir. 

Based in Bankstown, ParkAir is the Flight Operations Unit of NPWS that provides vital aviation services to support NPWS and other agencies to undertake fire management, feral animal control and various conservation and research programs. 

This year, training will predominantly take place at the Mogo Rural Fire Station and Moruya Airport from Sunday 20 July to Friday 25 July, weather permitting.

Expected training activities will range across water bucketing, agricultural flying checks, scenario-based hovering and winch insertion. It will also include sling loading practice and trials and regulatory checks on low level flying.

The training is a critical in ensuring ParkAir is ready to tackle major incidents particularly during the warmer months when more people are visiting our parks and ahead of the high risk bushfire season.  

ParkAir operates five helicopters, one fixed-wing airplane and remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to deliver specialised, reliable, and environmentally sustainable aviation services operated by highly trained personnel. 

Training is carried out in a variety of environments across the state to ensure NPWS firefighters are fully prepared for any challenging situation.

Quotes attributable to NPWS Director Flight Grant Simpson:   

“NSW NPWS has some of the most experienced firefighters in the world and it’s great the community will be able to see first class firefighter training take place right on their doorstep. 

“This annual training is critical to keeping our pilots and aircrew at their very best and ready for whatever situation comes their way, be it incident response, fire or feral animal control. 

“The NSW Government is investing in ParkAir so we can continue to keep the community and visitors safe in our National Parks right across the state.”