PNGDF’s flights of excellence reaches new heights with Australian support

Rear Admiral Polewara, Chief of the PNGDF, joins Capt Hosea and Lt Hiawani in front of the PNGDF’s PAC-750 XL aircraft *(Image: Supplied)*

The PNGDF’s Air Transport Wing (ATW) recently achieved a significant milestone when newly-minted C Category Pilot, Captain Cameron Hosea led the first all-PNGDF-crewed operational tasking since 2017, flying Chief of Defence Force Rear Admiral Philip Polewara, DMS, CBE and other PNGDF senior leaders as well as supplies from Daru to Weam and to Kiunga in the Western Province.

The flight was Rear Admiral Polewara’s first on one of PNGDF’s three PAC 750XL transport aircraft, operated by Captain Hosea and Co Pilot Lt Quinten Hiawani.

The all-PNGDF operational crew is a testament to the progress of the PNGDF’s sovereign air capability, supported by the Flights of Excellence Program.

Co-pilot Lt Quinten Hiawani *(Image: Supplied)*

The 'Flights of Excellence Program' is a joint initiative between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the Papua New Guinea Defence Force [PNGDF] to develop PNG's air element, with a focus on aviation safety and capacity building.

The depth of the people-to-people ties between the PNGDF and ADF are highlighted through the Flights of Excellence Program.

Wing Commander Tim Shaw of the Royal Australian Air Force, currently posted to PNG as part of the Defence Cooperation Program, who was part of Captain Hosea’s training also flew with Captain Hosea’s father in the early 1990s.