Air Force Agency Wins International Aviation Award

A ceremony will be held in Brisbane tonight recognising the Royal Australian Air Force’s receipt of a top international aviation award.

The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN) has presented its Grand Master’s Australian Medal to the Air Mobility Control Centre (AMCC) for its work coordinating the Australian Defence Force’s air lift responses to a series of natural disasters in early 2011.

The Acting Chief of Air Force, Air Vice-Marshal Neil Hart congratulated the AMCC for their international acknowledgment.

“This is hard-earned recognition for one of the busiest agencies in Air Force,” Air Vice-Marshal Hart said.

“Without their efforts, Defence would not have been able to respond as effectively to natural disasters this year, much less to our other standing commitments.”

“The AMCC plays a critical role all year round, and is frequently confronted with complex problems of high national importance, to be solved in a short deadline.

“A wide number of Defence and external stakeholders rely on the missions that the AMCC coordinates, making its efforts during times of crisis more extraordinary,” Air Vice-Marshal Hart said.

The AMCC is located at RAAF Base Richmond, west of Sydney. It has 35 staff and is responsible for coordinating all of Air Force’s air mobility aircraft.

The Grand Master's Australian Medal is presented to an Australian individual or organisation which has made a meritorious contribution to any aviation activity.

From December 2010 through to April 2011, the AMCC coordinated Air Force’s air lift responses to floods in Queensland and Victoria, an earthquake in Christchurch, and an earthquake and tsunami in Japan. This was accomplished with Air Force’s fleet of transport aircraft – the C-17A Globemaster, C-130 Hercules, and King Air 350s, along with the Special Purpose Aircraft fleet.

Media Contact:

Air Lift Group, Air Force (Eamon Hamilton) - 0429 868 794

Defence Media Operations - 02 6127 1999