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Show 10 HILLTOP TIMES Friday, Novmbr 22, 1985 Austral ian flig ht lieutenant finds Hill AFB a good place to visit By Chris Moenich Ogden ALC Public Affairs Office Flight Lt. Ross Birch joined the Royal Australian Air Force to be a pilot. Eleven years later he's still flying plus doing what others join the service for travel. "It's a good, good opportunity," the officer said. "I'll stay in as long as they keep me flying but I've also wanted to see as much as I can." Lieutenant Birch is stationed at Hill AFB as part of a military exchange program between Australia and the United States. He arrived in December 1984 to be an instructor with Detachment 4 Aerospace Rescue and Recovery crews. May 1987 is the date he is scheduled to go home. His normal day is spent helping with conversions, like giving instruction for an upgrade to aircraft commander or instructor pilot. He called the experiences "good," especially because of the helicopters 7 used in combination with the different terrain and flying conditions. The three RAAF bases with helicopters are Amberley and Townsville in the state of Queensland and Canberra in the Australian capital territory of New South Wales. Since the entire Air. Force numbers around 20,000 which is the approximate size of Hill's combined military and civilian workforce all pilots are trained in at least two types of aircraft. Lieutenant Birch has flown fixed wing and helicopter. After joining at age 19, he attended pilot training school and spent the next three years In 1979, he started flyflying ing helicopters in Army support work. C-13- He spent almost three years at Air Basic flight training school as an instructor. At home he flew a single-engin- e Here, he in Huey UH-1N. structs on a UH-1- through various missions with Det. 4 crews. When not teaching, he has flown combat readiness and Utah Test and Training Range support missions. In August, he helped rescue a boy lost in mountains east of Ogden. He said he was most intrigued when flying with night vision goggles, which are projected for use by the RAAF. Outside of the office, he and his wife, Julee, have spent time traveling to the Tetons, Mesa Verde, Arches National Park, California and to a seminar at Scott AFB, 111. Many more places are on the agenda. Skiing is a sport they took up in February and one they plan to pursue more this winter. He said they haven't been homesick, finding Americans similar to Australians. "There's a lot of American media exposure in Australia, so it would probably be more difficult for an s American to go there," he said. come here and speak with a different accent and that's about it." Thanksgiving will be spent with friends, even though the holiday is for- Huey e twin-engin- H. RAAF missions have included eight months flying search and rescue helicopters in Malaysia, where the RAAF shares a base with the Royal Malaysian Air Force. He made several trips to southeast Asia flying C-13- But conditions here offer him new challenges. Lieutenant Birch was born in Mildura, a town of about 15,000 people in southeast Australia. He knew nothing about Utah until he ' signed up for the exchange program and requested coming here. "It was new to me to the day I arrived," he said. His home climate ranges from tropical in the north to temperate in the south. Mount Kosciusko in the Australian Alps is the highest elevation at about 9,000 ft. Most people live in cities along the coast since temperatures in the central desert average 120 degrees Fahrenheit four months out of the year. "Australia is basically a large, open country," the lieutenant said. "And . "Aus-tralian- eign to Australians. ' "We do what the Americans do. It's all part of the program and the reason we came," he said. the changes in climate, especially during the winter months, aren't the same experience as here." Much of his acclimation has been Darwinfkz? JNhulunbuy : Weipal J i') p C S' 'sCarpentaria I '" '1' ' NORTHERN TERRITORY I Port Hedlan Dampier rS A ' Go dSYfcrt i - iwnsville 3 . ockhampton W, k - - ' . :, Esperanca- rv J . - t - rS;,,,,, Australian Biaht Jioiioif. yK f . & V n.. S AffBiasnbti Flight Lt. Ross Birch came to Hill AFB through a military exchange program. As a flight tenant, which lieu- equivalent to a U.S. Air Force captain, he worked at a basic flying school prior to his arrival here in December Exchange program offered worldwide The objective of the allied and inner service exchange program is to strengthen mutual confidence, understanding and respect among the services. Military personnel who apply are assigned to authorized positions and perform duties required by that position. Tour lengths are generally two years plus training time. Foreign services involved in the program with the United States are Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Air Force (Britian), Canadian Forces, German Air Force, Spanish Air Force, French Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, Japan Air Self Defense Force, Royal Danish Air Force, Turkish Air Force, Colombian Air Force and Venezuelan Air Force, Capt. Jim Playford, chief, personnel utilization, explained that the program is not a mutual exchange. Positions are filled by qualified applicants e and not on a basis. one-on-on- More information is available through the military personnel office. fp ydney ivw ollongong VICTORIA J f. 'F Baps Strait unceston TASM, 'obart 1984. Operational Command and Support Command command system of the Roycomprise the two-tie- r al Australian Air Force, according to a booklet published in 1984 by the Australian Department of Administrative Service. It is equipped with two squadrons of strikereconnaissance aircraft, three squadrons of Mirage 111-- and 111-fighters and two squadrons of Orion maritime reconnaissance aircraft. FA-1- 8 tactical Eighteen McDonnell-Dougla- s have been ordered to replace the Mirage. fighters Two medium-rang- e transport squadrons and a medium and long-rang- e special squadron are equipped with Hercules transport and Boeing 707 aircraft. The five tactical transport squadrons have Caribou aircraft, Chinook medium-lif- t or Iroquois utility helicopters. A special transport squadron operates BAC 8 Mystere 20 and aircraft. Strength of the combined permanent forces is about 72,000 in addition to almost 36,000 in the reserve forces. More than 70 percent of civilians are employed in direct support and under direction of the Service Chiefs of Staff. 1 fx F-11- D C-1- 30 1, .MM m ewcastle flTT" I risbane SOUTH WALES 2 is the Facts about RAAF: 0 sJ 1 ) (U.S. Air Force Photo by Chris Moenich) "W ackay QUEENSLAND : i Pertt Fremantle ' Pacific Ocean "VB I J. tfyttm Geraldtoir "3&0. tunruraww I 1 I HS-74- . FA-1- 8 :" " " - |