Hevilift court case

General stuff that gets thrown about when Helicopter Pilots shoot the Breeze.
Heliduck
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Hevilift court case

Postby Heliduck » Mon Feb 24 2020, 20:51

If this case gets to court in Australia the decision could set a precedent which determines how training & company records are managed in Australia.


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-25/victorian-pilot-sues-hevilift-aviation-company-for-$10-million/11996176
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Icefather
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Icefather » Tue Feb 25 2020, 10:19

This has been tried before. The weather call decision rests with the pilot in command. You can’t blame that on not having an A/H in a VFR ship.
NZHelo
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby NZHelo » Tue Feb 25 2020, 11:47

Also how ownership of an unfortunate mistake is perceived.
Been alive long enough to know cloud/fog doesn’t just appear.
Blokes a scammer that should have interpreted the weather.
May as well blame casa for passing his exam/s and his doctor for passing his eye tests.
Wonder what his “peers” say about him as a person.
Icefather
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Icefather » Tue Feb 25 2020, 12:13

NZHelo wrote:Also how ownership of an unfortunate mistake is perceived.
Been alive long enough to know cloud/fog doesn’t just appear.
Blokes a scammer that should have interpreted the weather.
May as well blame casa for passing his exam/s and his doctor for passing his eye tests.
Wonder what his “peers” say about him as a person.


^^ fully agree and
Not very nice things tbh.

Multiple people died cause of said actions...

Also the article said about hurtling along at “85 kts” in bad weather crossing ridges at tree height isn’t the smartest move, mountain flying 101
helicopspeeder
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby helicopspeeder » Fri Feb 28 2020, 07:48

So I’m reading between the lines here. Any Hevilift PNG pilot can be expected to have a very good, working knowledge of potential weather in tropical, mountainous conditions. I don’t think it was this pilot’s idea to sue for not being provided with weather information prior to the flight. Perhaps his aircraft did not have basic gyro instruments but at the end of the day it was a CFIT accident. What I got from the story is that it seems he has been paying his own medical bills and is seeking some compensation to help with that. I reckon his lawyers came up with the reason for the lawsuit and they had to find a reason with some legal precedent.
I think we as pilots should reasonably expect sufficient insurance coverage to provide for medical and other costs in the event of an accident and should reasonably expect not to have to sue to get that. Really the question is, why T.H. has he had to use all his super etc to pay his own medical bills?
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County
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby County » Sat Feb 29 2020, 03:03

Depends on employment status. A lot of pilot over their services as contractors !! In this case worker’s compensation insurances are the pilots responsibility.
I see this in the Ag industry a lot, but in reality I know if I employed a pilot on a contrac basis it won’t stand up in court and I would be sued to cover their compensation expenses
helicopspeeder
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby helicopspeeder » Sat Feb 29 2020, 03:12

Employment and conditions of contact pilots have been tried before. If you push the issue a contract pilot is almost always actually an employee. Regardless, I worked for Hevilift for years and I have a lot of forward and colleagues who also have. I’ve never heard of them using contract pilots.
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Couch Monster
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Couch Monster » Wed Apr 15 2020, 21:30

Heliduck wrote:If this case gets to court in Australia the decision could set a precedent which determines how training & company records are managed in Australia.


https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-25/victorian-pilot-sues-hevilift-aviation-company-for-$10-million/11996176



Did this occur at Moro, PNG? Saw Hevilift were contracted to Oil Search. Flown my share of trips with Hevilift in the Southern Highlands and Hela Province (Tribal rebels took ExxonMobil's airstrip by force. Couldn't get charter planes up there for some time) 8)
Good times.
Mag seal
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Mag seal » Wed Apr 15 2020, 22:32

Do the light singles operating up there now have the basic instruments fitted that would give you a chance if you encounter low visibility situations?
westy
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby westy » Wed Apr 15 2020, 22:33

Yep Couch monster, back in 2006 occurred along the Moran ridge 5 minutes out of Moro.... few years before my time up there, tours in the southern highlands are always an adventure
Last edited by westy on Thu Apr 16 2020, 02:50, edited 1 time in total.
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pohm1
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby pohm1 » Thu Apr 16 2020, 01:23

The judgment is $5.65 million + costs to the pilot.

https://archive.sclqld.org.au/qjudgment ... 20-077.pdf
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Jabberwocky
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Jabberwocky » Thu Apr 16 2020, 02:37

Only winners in that one are whomever is in the will...
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Couch Monster
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Couch Monster » Thu Apr 16 2020, 08:07

Mag seal wrote:Do the light singles operating up there now have the basic instruments fitted that would give you a chance if you encounter low visibility situations?

When I was in Hela Province, the only helicopters getting around were 212's, 412's, AW109's, 139's, Mi-8's and Chinooks.
I don't remember seeing light singles in Moro when I was passing through there. Maybe there were limited to coastal operations?
Can anyone confirm this?

:|
westy
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby westy » Thu Apr 16 2020, 11:24

Plenty of singles operating throughout PNG including Moro and the highlands. Pacifics has there B3e's , Hevilift and Heli Nuiginis with 407's, there's other much smaller operators about also operating singles across the country... you can even spot a R44 in and out of Pom regularly
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Couch Monster
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby Couch Monster » Thu Apr 16 2020, 12:11

westy wrote:Plenty of singles operating throughout PNG including Moro and the highlands. Pacifics has there B3e's , Hevilift and Heli Nuiginis with 407's, there's other much smaller operators about also operating singles across the country... you can even spot a R44 in and out of Pom regularly



Ah yep, I've also seen the 407's operating in the highlands. It's strange that I never saw the B3's. I guess the R44 stayed around PoM for most part :D
Sometimes the flights to the highlands in the dash 8's and ATR's can get pretty hairy at times.

I remember my first flight up there from PoM. The guy next to me (who had been working at the oil company for 2 years), crossed his heart and bowed his head in prayer as the plane rumbled off the tarmac and into the sky.

It was at this point that I wondered what I was getting myself into :P

Anyone got any 'war stories' from their time in country?
westy
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Re: Hevilift court case

Postby westy » Thu Apr 16 2020, 12:18

Couch Monster wrote:
westy wrote:Plenty of singles operating throughout PNG including Moro and the highlands. Pacifics has there B3e's , Hevilift and Heli Nuiginis with 407's, there's other much smaller operators about also operating singles across the country... you can even spot a R44 in and out of Pom regularly



Ah yep, I've also seen the 407's operating in the highlands. It's strange that I never saw the B3's. I guess the R44 stayed around PoM for most part :D
Sometimes the flights to the highlands in the dash 8's and ATR's can get pretty hairy at times.

I remember my first flight up there from PoM. The guy next to me (who had been working at the oil company for 2 years), crossed his heart and bowed his head in prayer as the plane rumbled off the tarmac and into the sky.

It was at this point that I wondered what I was getting myself into :P

Anyone got any 'war stories' from their time in country?


plenty mate sent you a PM

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