IT’S a trade the northern beef industry relies heavily on - uniquely Australian, full of colourful characters and conducted in some of the most remote, and dangerous, conditions.
Aerial cattle mustering also has 53.3 accidents per million hours logged to its name, the highest of any sector in the Australian aviation community.
It recorded five accidents last year alone and 15 fatalities between 2007 and 2016.
In stark contrast, the Australian Defence Force has lost no aircrew in flying at all in the past 19 years.
Against that backdrop, the man credited with reforming the aviation safety record of the ADF, decorated helicopter pilot and retired Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, addressed cattle producers in Alice Springs last week.
Keynote speaker at the Northern Territory Cattlemen’s Association annual conference, Sir Angus said there was much to be done to improve the safety of beef industry operations in the air and it all came down to “leadership and culture.”
Aerial cattle mustering was a remarkable business conducted under one-of-a-kind conditions, according to Sir Angus.
“Every time a plane gets airborne, the mission focus is intent,” he said.
“The Robinson R22 helicopter is mostly used and of course it has limitations - I believe underpowered. You fly at low level, often in the middle of dead man’s curve where if you lose an engine you will hit the ground hard.
“You fly in dry, dusty conditions, there are constant distractions and pressure to get the job done.
“A lot of your pilots are young people and inexperienced. You can’t put an old head on a young person, you need to develop and supervise them.
“All pilots go through a phase where they think they are teflon-coated and that is a danger.
“You can also have pilots with a lack of recent practice.”
It all adds up to a demanding and hazardous environment, however the airforce journey could provide a way forward, he said.
Sir Angus outlined how 104 years ago, the first military flight in Australia was conducted and it was also the day of our first aviation accident.
By the days of World War II, if you joined the airforce you had a one-in-three chance of being killed in training and then a two-in-three chance of being killed in combat.
“During the 1980s and 90s, the RAAF attrition rate was higher than that sustained in Afghanistan fighting an enemy that put improvised explosive devices on our tracks and engaged us in combat,” Sir Angus said.
Then came the dramatic change which has seen no losses in close to two decades.
“We left behind the ‘magnificent men in their flying machines’ culture for a safety-conscious airforce, where risk is intently managed in every operation conducted,” Sir Angus explained.
An airworthiness system was introduced - the central part being technical and operational standards audited constantly by “two old grey hairs - an engineer and pilot.”
“If they see something that worries them it’s reported up the chain,” he said.
The first step for the cattle industry was to “provide direction as to where you want your aviation business to go in the future.”
Insisting on high standards and the right culture was critical, according to Sir Angus.
“What you might do is set up an aviation safety group, with a large number of cattlemen on it but also bring in safety expertise, and invite CASA (civil aviation safety authority) and the air transportation safety board,” he suggested.
“Every four to six months, have a look at what is happening operationally, what incidents have occurred and what lessons have been learned and then provide initiatives to apply safety and risk management.
“Perhaps employ one flying safety expert and build a secretariat around that individual.”
Invest in the right people - reliable and self disciplined pilots - and set standards, for example how close aircraft can go to cattle. Develop checklists and pre-flight safety and risk management briefs.
And make use of safety gear. Wear helmets.
“It is all about risk avoidance. Don’t fly to the edge, that is another statistic going somewhere to happen,” Sir Angus said.