The joint Easter 2012 venture between ER24 and the RTMC with Discovery as the major sponsor kicked off on Thursday the 5th of April.
The R44 lifted off from Lanseria Airport at around 12am with two ETV crew on board, airborne to Polokwane Civil Airport in Limpopo. In the meantime, the ER24 Discovery Medicopter had been Ladysmith bound at around 10am the same morning from Durban’s Virginia airport and was landing around the same time that the R44 was taking off.
With the Traffic Departments in both Polokwane and Ladysmith being 100% behind the initiative for traffic monitoring, and providing every possible service to the pilot and crews that they could, the days ahead were discussed and planned.
Thursday would be the first day of flights around both areas, along major traffic routes, the N1 in Limpopo and the N3 between Ladysmith and Harrismith respectively.
Continued flights in each area would then take place on Friday the 6th and then again on Monday the 9th of April.
Polokwane bound R44
The R44, silver and red, branded ER24 and Discovery booked airborne to Polokwane Civil Airport shortly after 12am.
The teams from Ford and Suzuki, sponsors of RTMC Ground Patrol Units, met at Lanseria airport and photos were taken with the R44 and ER24 Discovery Medicopter for publication in their respective magazines. The articles would relate to Easter Weekend traffic and incidents as reported by the RTMC.
The R44 landed at the Polokwane Civil Airport shortly before 2pm and the pilot from Halo Aviation met with the relevant role-players in order to discuss the days flying and the expectations for the following two days of flying.
The R44 conducted numerous flights over the N1 highway; over major toll routes and towards Moria to determine the extent of traffic over the Zion Christian Church Easter Weekend gathering in the area.
The MEC of Road and Transport for the Limpopo Province took two trips with the Charter Helicopter, while other traffic officials also had their chance to view the roads from the air.
Despite the winds picking up slightly towards Monday afternoon, everything went extremely well and the venture was a great success with the Traffic Officials having only good things to say about their experiences.
Ladysmith bound ER24 Discovery Medicopter Chopper 3 – Derrick Banks
On Thursday the 5th April the ER24 Discovery Medicopter Chopper 3 was airborne from Durban and was flying to Ladysmith for the start of the Easter weekend. This year marks the second year of this joint initiative between ER24 and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) with Discovery as a partner with sponsorship of the helicopters.
The ER24 Discovery Medicopter Chopper 3 landed at Ladysmith RTI grounds were the pilot was welcomed by Mr. Dave Steel, who is the Chief Provincial Inspector for that area. After the debrief both pilot and Mr. Steel were airborne so the pilot could see where the helicopter could land at Tugela Plaza and then they patrolled up the N3. After landing at the Tugela Plaza, a few motorists had stopped and wanted their children to have a look at the helicopter. This was a great opportunity as this gave the drivers time to have a break from driving before carrying on their holiday. Just before 3pm the Medicopter took off from Tugela Plaza and returned back to the RTI offices to end the day off.
The ER24 Discovery Medicopter Ground Support Unit left Durban just before 6am on Friday the 6th to meet with the Medicopter at the Tugela Plaza. The roads were slightly quiet as only 700 to 900 cars were going through the Tugela Plaza heading towards Durban, while over 1000 motorist were heading back towards Johannesburg. As motorists drove pass they either waved or hooted. This was surely to say thank you for looking after them. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter took off to monitor the traffic on the Van Reenen’s Pass where they were able to contact the local authorities informing them of some broken down trucks on the south side and a broken down bus near the top. These problems were rectified rather quickly and did not cause any traffic problems. The day ended with no accident reported in the area.
The last day of flights on Monday the 9th, was conducted at the Tugela Plaza where large amounts of holiday makers were expected to be passing, to be heading home as it was the start of school for most provinces the following day. With the changing winds near to the Tugela Plaza and going up the Van Reenen’s Pass, flying was going to be a great challenge for the pilot. By 1pm over 2400 motorist were going through the Tugela Plaza heading north. There was a report of an accident on the Pass but it was a minor incident where it was slight bumper bashing that had taken place. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter team then had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Ashref Ismail from RTMC. He was taken for a flight so he could see the traffic volumes leaving and approaching the Tugela Plaza.
Ladysmith bound ER24 Discovery Medicopter Chopper 3 – Zayin Vermaak
My Easter weekend was one that will be fondly remembered; A new experience for me in getting to be a small part of a national effort to make our roads a safer place over the Easter period.
Based in Ladysmith and operating from the Tugela Toll Plaza, we were a team of organizations all well prepared and ready to provide a safe passage for the mad rush of motorists to and from their holiday destinations.
Being the pilot of the Discovery ER 24 Medicopter I was the eyes that assisted from above. Being able to monitor and respond from the air, especially over the treacherous Van Reenen’s Pass area, and also being able to cover a large tract of road in a short space of time definitely aided in minimizing any delay to problems on the road.
With a ground crew consisting of the KZN Traffic Department having vehicles dotted every few kilometers, ambulance and paramedic services including ER24 based at the Tugela Plaza and ready to respond at a moment’s notice to any motor vehicle accident. Also roadside assistance for vehicles with mechanical problems was provided by BMW and me in the air, in the Discovery ER24 Medicopter. We were a well-organized team.
Being prepared for what was coming made life a lot easier when the traffic count started tipping the scale at over 2600 cars per hour through the Tugela Plaza and over the Van Reenen’s Pass. Attending to any problem that would hinder the flow of traffic, be it a flat tire or an accident, we managed to keep a safe and free flowing movement of traffic throughout the weekend.
Motorists need to know that there are many of us out there that care about their safety, and also few people that have the thankless job of looking after the safety of many.
In Conclusion
All parties involved on the days of the flights were entirely satisfied at the days’ events.
Not only was it a pleasure to work with such dedicated and professional individuals from all sectors involved, it was great to be able to observe traffic on these major routes from the air, providing important information as to the number of vehicles utilizing these routes and getting a bird’s eye view of any major problems so as to be able to report them where necessary and timeously.
Thanks go to everyone involved in the organization and for taking part as necessary on the days of conducting flights.
A special thanks to Mr. Dave Steele and his team at the Ladysmith RTI base for all the effort he put in to organize fuel for the event and for being so accommodating to all the needs according to what was required for the success of the initiative.
Also a special mention of thanks to Mr. Gordon Horn and his team from Limpopo Traffic for all his assistance with the Polokwane bound Charter Helicopter.
- ER24
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