Invercargill Man in Search for Missing Flight MH370
03 April 2014
Invercargill Man in Search for Missing Flight MH370
Air Force operational pilot Flight
Lieutenant (FLTLT) Dave Smith is one of the Royal New
Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P-3K2 Orion crew searching for
missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in a remote area of
the southern Indian Ocean.
Born and raised in
Invercargill, FLTLT Smith is currently based with No. 5
Squadron at RNZAF Base Auckland at Whenuapai.
“We carry
out maritime surveillance and reconnaissance, Exclusive
Economic Zone patrols, and anti-submarine and surface unit
warfare, but we are probably best known to the public for
our search and rescue work,” said FLTLT Smith.
FLTLT
Smith has previously been involved in dramatic searches; the
search for Amaltal Columbia, which was a large fishing
vessel that caught fire off the coast of Christchurch, and
the Windigo which was a yacht that capsized 1260km NW of New
Zealand.
“I have been involved in a number of challenging search and rescue missions, it’s a pretty satisfying job.”
The search for MH370 is one of the
largest the RNZAF has ever been involved in. The search area
is bigger than the size of New Zealand.
“We are
constantly thinking of the families and friends affected by
the tragedy of MH370, it gives us the motivation to do our
very best every time we search,” he said.
No. 5 Squadron maintains an Orion aircraft at two hours readiness to get airborne, with twelve aircrew and eight maintenance personnel on standby 24/7, 365 days of the year.
ENDS