The cockpit of the Flying Unit's Fokker F.28-1000 Fellowship VH-ATD. The pilot on the left is Flying Unit Superintendent Robin Tainton, ex South African Airways. The other pilot is Max Buchanan. The aircraft is at Launceston in 1982 and, as the gear is down full flap is selected, they are landing and not doing an ILS calibration approach.

The Department's F.28s were fitted with a non-standard comprehensive package of navigation aids for flight survey work including dual INS, VOR, ADF, DME(A), DME(I) and TACAN.

A gyro-stabilised light was fitted in the aircraft's nose to enable the ground-based Optical Tracker to track the aircraft's flight path. Two consoles for the Flight Surveyors were installed in the cabin.

The Departmental pilots who undertook this work were known as 'Airways Surveyors' until 1989 when the roles of Examiner of Airmen and Airways Surveyor were combined into the Flying Operations Inspector job classification.

(Photo: CAHS collection PU-000193-82-5CE)

Click here for another photo of VH-ATD's cockpit

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