Post take-off, the panoramic view of our EEZ through the window seat from above is one memory that only the experience of flying can provide. Fortunately the weather was quite pleasant and luckily none of my colleges experienced motion sickness or was claustrophobia. Everything from 6000 ft. looked so diminutive. Buildings looked like matchboxes. As the waves crashed along the eastern and north-eastern coast of Mahe, I couldn’t help but notice the various Blue-Economy related activities that were on going, namely in terms of the fisheries and tourism Industry. The coast and the ocean itself was indeed a hectic area, especially in the Ste. Anne marine park and the Fishing Port. Getting a birds-eye-view flying over the island and reefs in the sea makes you realize just how remote our island nation really is. I got to shadow and observe the surveillance officer as (S/O) Cpl Hertel M. as he worked on a sophisticated radar that is used to detect everything on the water surface over a distance from Mahe to Praslin. Occasionally, large fish or turbulent water can provide false targets sometimes. We managed to spot 2 vessels upon our arrival in the area of interest on the radar. After the S/O alerted the Pilot in Command Cmdr A. Menon who was also the Mission Commander and the First Officer Lt . J.Houreau, they dropped the aircraft to a lower altitude. That was when the S/O operating the radar got off his seat and started taking pictures of the vessels using surveillance cameras to acquire its vessel name and call sign (certain numerical figures and letters found on a vessel used for identification purposes to tell whether the vessels is foreign or local). It was simply exhilarating. There's something inspiring about flying this close to the ocean in the Dornier. It was definitely a different experience than from commercial flights. A short flight of almost 1.5 hours, but perhaps the best 1.5 hours of my life. It was surely a trip worth remembering, all thanks to the Seychelles Air Force upholding their duties and responsibilities in securing our EEZ. Signing Off for now, C Labonte
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AuthorThe interns of the Prosperity & Environment: Promoting sustainable development opportunities for youth in the Blue Economy sector. Archives
January 2018
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