The RNZAF being part of the effort, we set off to Bullsbrook, Western Australia in the KBT P-3 Orion.
No custom scenery for RAAF Base Pearce, but luckily FS9 has a few of the supporting cast available, to pad things out a bit.
Off we go, it’s a long flight just to get to the designated search area.
Armed with all the information available in our web-connected world, it’s relatively straight forward plotting the search box, 1600nm away.
Then, settle in under the cloud cover and “mow the lawnâ€.
The search is very fuel-limited: We took off with 47,000lbs on board. Outbound we consumed 18,354 lbs, and expect the same or less on return. With a half hour reserve of 1500 lbs, that leaves fuel for only 110 minutes in the search pattern.
Even this reduced window must be mind numbing; you must stay alert while faced with an unchanging vista. I gave up because I knew I wasn’t going to find anything; the crew don’t have that luxury, a moment’s distraction could mean you miss a vital glint somewhere in the grey.
After a couple of hours, the long haul back - empty handed.
Maybe tomorrow, or the day after, or the day after that…
I reckon my original question was answered well enough, and I feel I have more of an insight into the work these dedicated fellows do.
Quite relentless, really. I imagine a Rescue mission must make a huge difference to your job satisfaction though.
,....get him 
) ... and fun to boot
