RAN chopper visits Victorian schools
Two Victorian schools received a special visit as a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R helicopter and its crew touched down, offering students a rare glimpse into naval aviation.
CAPTION: Geelong High School students watch as a Royal Australian Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter prepares to land on the school oval during a visit by Royal Australian Navy personnel. Story by Lieutenant Mark Tesoriero. Photo by Warrant Officer Ricky Fuller.
Navy’s Fleet Air Arm’s 725 Squadron landed the helicopter on the sports ovals of Geelong High School and Ocean Grove’s Bellarine Secondary College for an early-morning visit.
The planned landing was part of a presentation to students about the aircraft and ADF capability ahead of the Australian International Airshow.
Aviation warfare officer Sub-Lieutenant Stephanie Hudson said the crew were excited to showcase the helicopter’s capability to students.
“It’s always a pleasure to come out to schools, meet the students and speak a little bit about what we do every day in the Navy,” Sub-Lieutenant Hudson said.
“It’s a unique job that gives us access to incredible machinery, technology and interesting career paths.
“We’re proud of what we do, so to have the chance to share a little bit of that with the local community is a great privilege.”
Geelong High School principal Davin Reid watched as his Year 12 physics class participated in the Navy presentation.
“It was a great chance for our students to meet with the Navy and learn more about the aircraft, life in the ADF and the many career paths they have in front of them,” Mr Reid said.
“They loved seeing the helicopter up close and getting the chance to interact with the crew.”
One of the MH-60R’s features is its networked mission systems and digital cockpit, which equips Navy aircrew with unparalleled situational awareness.
It fuses information from its advanced RADAR, SONAR, Electro-Optical and Electronic Support systems before sharing mission critical information via its high-speed datalinks.
When not deployed, MH-60R helicopters operate from the Naval Air Station HMAS Albatross in Nowra, NSW, with 725, 816 and 808 Squadrons.
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