Police Air Wing Visit

All eyes were glued to the sky on Wednesday 27^th October, watching the Victoria Police Air Wing Helicopter as it made its approach to land on our sports oval.

Year 11 Physics students were given a special treat with the helicopter’s visit to the school as part of the Aerospace unit they are currently progressing through in Physics. The purpose of the visit was to show students the principles behind helicopter flight and allow them to take a close look at the various flight controls, mechanisms and technology required to lift a four tonne aircraft gracefully into the sky.

The flight crew (Dan, Dermot and Cameron) did a brilliant job answering numerous questions and explaining the theory with a clear and comprehensive approach for what can potentially be a very complex topic.

Apart from just the Physics students, many others enjoyed the personalised air show too, including teachers and students from the neighbouring primary school.

Year 11 Physics teacher, Rob Zreczycki, says ‘it’s one thing to see pictures or video clips and read about these awesome machines in books or online, but to see and touch the real thing puts the theory into a very dramatic and exciting context’.

Some interesting facts about the helicopter we saw:

• Cost of helicopter $16 million
• Cost of both engines $3 million
• Cost of infrared camera on the helicopter $1 million
• Cost of each rotor blade $120,000 ( there are 4 of these)
• Cost of door handle $15,000
• Cost of running the helicopter per hour $3000
• Cost to us for the visit $0
• Value of today's experience $Priceless

Hallam Senior College is extremely grateful to the Victoria Police Air Wing for their efforts and giving up some of their precious time and resources to have made this visit possible.