Len Wilmington interviewed by Rob Linn for the E.A. Crome aviation oral history project [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 3117646
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Wilmington, Len, 1941-, interviewee
- Online Version:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 2004
- 2 digital audio tapes (ca. 112 min.)
- Series:
- E.A. Crome aviation oral history project.
- Summary:
-
Len Wilmington, air traffic controller and pilot, talks about his apprenticeship with the Queensland railways; joining the RAAF as an electrician; his early days in the RAAF; going to Darwin as electrician from 1962 to 1963; his path through RAAF; attending an Air Traffic Control Course at East Sale; his promotion to sergeant and to Laverton Point Cook; serving in most states as an Air Traffic Controller; 1967 to Flying Officer; his life as an air traffic controller; instructing air traffic controllers and examining; improvements in technology during 1970s as civil aerodromes were given radar; the Cyclone Tracey aftermath and rebuilding the air traffic control system; his experience with the evacuation after Cyclone Tracey; shifting some 80,000 people out in 6 days; his own shortcomings and the nature of near misses; air safety; the new systems of air space culture; his Christian faith; leaving the RAAF and serving as a Flight Service officer over 20 years, eventually became a trainer; his family moving around Australia with his work.
Wilmington talks about his love of all aspects of aviation; learning to fly in 1976 and his experiences; being a commercial pilot and his huge learning curve when he became a bush pilot; Flight Services experiences; the increase in flying around Australia and expansion of aviation scene; aviation and stress; the growth of Australian aviation and changing safety measures; his experiences with Dick Smith; enrolling as a mature age student at Capricorn Institute of Aviation in computing; comments on Qantas pilots and their attitudes inside and outside Australia; how after taking a redundancy he was asked to become a flying padre with Frontier Services; in 1997 being based in Cloncurry flying a Cessna 182; how he was retrained and gained his licence; the expense of bush flying; his ministry area of 500,000 sq. kms; rural debt and lack of work for young people; the heritage of outback aviation; future for bush aviation; the uniqueness of outback flying.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on Mar. 03, 2004 at Fernleigh Park, N.S.W.
- Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-218643896
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary and corrected transcript (typescript, 54 leaves).
- Subject:
- Occupation:
- Aircraft pilots
- Other authors/contributors:
- Linn, Rob, interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the E.A. Crome aviation oral history project.
This collection contains 12 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2074 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2004
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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