TRUENORTH Helicopters have been proudly serving the Snowy Valleys region for the past 25 years and to mark the major milestone the aviation specialists threw open the hangar doors and invited the community to a behind-the-scenes look and action-packed open day celebration on Sunday.
Truenorth owners Jim and Bridget Ryan and their team weren’t sure what to expect when they planned the open day but were pleasantly surprised by the incredible community response.
A few hundred locals and visitors flocked to the open day, eager to get an up-close look at the operation, far exceeding the Ryan’s expectations and leaving the couple feeling both humbled and very grateful for the support.
“We didn’t know how many people would be interested so we are overwhelmed by the support. What community spirit,” Jim said.
“It’s been a fantastic turnout, really great to see everybody, and a great opportunity to show people what Truenorth do and how long we’ve been doing it for.”
Jim piloted the morning scenic flights that took passengers over to Blowering Dam and back, and which were so popular Truenorth had to open up a second run in the afternoon.
By 2.30pm and up to the ninth 6-person flight for the day, people were still lining up to book, with Jim saying, “we’ll just keep flying until people don’t want to fly anymore; we’ve got heaps of pilots!”
The scenic flights, providing passengers with the opportunity to experience the beauty of Tumut from the air, were conducted in the Firebird 295, often referred to as the Swiss Army knife of helicopters. Rugged and designed for versatility, the FB295 is a vital asset in Truenorth’s fleet.
“People loved the flights. They were short little flights up to the dam and back and we were lucky to have [record seeking jet boat pilot Dave] Warby on the dam at the time,” Jim said.
“The majority of people we had on the flights in the morning were locals, and we mainly spoke about our operation, what the different machines do, the four different types.
“It was also a great yarn telling opportunity. And no two stories were the same.”
On the ground, spectators took the opportunity to get a hands-on look at the Firebird 284, 293 and the Helitack 294, along with all the support gear – cages, grapples, water bombing buckets, fuel trucks and FLIR cameras – giving people a good overview of how operations work at Truenorth and how they protect our community in times of emergency.
Live training sessions in winch training with the Helitack 294 and water bombing training with the FB295 were a huge hit with the crowd.
Truenorth Helicopters made aviation history in Australia by introducing the Helitack 294 to the country in early 2005. It was the first of its kind in the world to be used for firefighting, marking a groundbreaking milestone for emergency services in Australia.
With 20 years of continuous service and an impressive 7000 flight hours in this role, the HT294 remains a vital asset for the Snowy Valleys community, still serving as the only twin-engine helicopter in the region.
Jim and Bridget lead a 12-person team at Truenorth which includes experts in aerial firefighting, winch operations, water bucketing, aerial ignition, hover exit and crew transport, refuelling trucks and resources.
Truenorth’s broad capabilities include responding to flood events – conducting flood water surveys, executing fodder drops, and resupplying isolated properties – as well as offering a comprehensive range of services beyond flood and fire management.
Their expertise includes search and rescue operations, weed survey and control, powerline inspection and maintenance, feral animal control, aerial filming and television, aerial crane services, and animal surveying.
In the adventure tourism space, Truenorth offer scenic flights across the Snowy Valleys area onboard their state-of-the-art helicopters offering a view of the great outdoors from a brand new perspective.
Over the years, Truenorth have trained some exceptionally skilled individuals, and the open day provided the perfect opportunity for anyone considering a career in aviation to chat with pilots about the different options.
The Ryan’s extended their heartfelt thanks to other local emergency services who went along to support the day – the Rural Fire Service, Fire and Rescue NSW, State Emergency Service and NSW Police – along with the Tumut Aero Club who manned the barbecue.
In speaking with community members who visited Truenorth for the open day, there was nothing but high praise and appreciation for the impressive and skilled work that Jim and Bridget and the team do.
The Snowy Valleys is indeed very fortunate to have Truenorth call the region home.
More photos from the open day on pages 6 and 7.
