XN000022-1984-05-03 — Page 2

THURSDAY, MAY 3, 1984

CHIEF SECRETARY SEES RHKAAF AT WORK

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THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE WENT ON A FLYING VISIT THIS AFTERNOON TO SEE THE WORK OF THE ROYAL HONG KONG AUXILIARY AIR FORCE.

ARRIVING AT FORCE HEADQUARTERS, KAI TAK, BY AN RHKAAF DAUPHIN HELICOPTER, SIR PHILIP WAS MET BY THE COMMANDING OFFICER, WING COMMANDER ALISTAIR ASPREY.

SIR PHILIP FIRST TOURED THE HANGAR HOUSING THE RHKAAF FLEET, WHICH CONSISTS OF FOUR FIXED WING AIRCRAFT AND THREE DAUPHIN HELICOPTERS.

SIR PHILIP WAS TOLD BY WING CMDR. ASPREY THAT THE RHKAAF, ESTABLISHED IN 1949, EVOLVED FROM A CONVENTIONAL AUXILIARY AIR FORCE ADMINISTERED BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE TO A FULLY INDEPENDENT GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT WITH DIVERSE ROLES.

A COMBINATION OF 83 FULL-TIME STAFF AND 80 PART-TIME VOLUNTEERS ENABLES THE FORCE TO PROVIDE A WIDE RANGE OF FLYING SERVICES COVERING SEARCH AND RESCUE, CASUALTY EVACUATION, AIRBORNE FIRE-FIGHTING AS WELL AS REGULAR ACTIVITIES, INCLUDING AERIAL SURVEYS AND ROUTINE. COMMUNICATION FLIGHTS.

LAST YEAR, THE RHKAAF FLEW 481 EMERGENCY MISSIONS, FIFTY PER CENT MORE THAN IN 1982.

APART FROM FLYING COMMITMENTS, THE FORCE HAS IN RECENT YEARS BEEN PROVIDING FLYING AND OTHER SPECIALISED TRAINING FOR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL OFFICERS OF THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT.

SIR PHILIP LATER INSPECTED THE OPERATIONS ROOM AND ALSO THE TRAINING CENTRE, WHERE HE WAS GIVEN A REVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE FORCE.

BEFORE LEAVING, ALSO BY HELICOPTER, SIR PHILIP HAD AN INFORMAL MEETING AND DISCUSSION WITH THE STAFF.

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