Trading flights for traditional food

Aviators from 21 nations traded flight suits for aprons during Exercise Pitch Black for International Night – an evening of food, culture and friendship.

Each of the international contingents taking part took to the oval of the Defence Accommodation Precinct Darwin to set up a stall representing their home country with traditional food, drinks and a taste of home. 

Director of Engagement for Pitch Black GPCAPT Peter Wood viewed the night as a rare chance for members to step away from the flight line and operations centres and interact with each other in an informal setting. 

“For Exercise Pitch Black, we have 20 participating nations from overseas to operate in our environment, living in the Darwin area for three to four weeks,” GPCAPT Wood said. 

“International Night is a chance celebrate with international friends by setting up a stall with their local and national cuisine, national culture in a relaxed environment.” 

While Pitch Black is primarily focused on developing multinational air combat skills through complex, large-force flying missions, activities such as International Night play an important complementary role.

The exercise includes personnel from Brunei, Canada, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States. 

GPCAPT Wood said the friendships and shared experiences forged on the night and throughout the exercise are qualities that remain essential to airpower long after the Pitch Black concludes.

“Events like International Night reinforce that the exercise's success is built on people as much as platforms. 

“It really is just about 2500 people from 21 nations all coming together, engaging together and building relationships for the future.”