Government Flying Service (Hong Kong)
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| Government Flying Service | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1993 |
| Preceding Agency | Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF) |
| Jurisdiction | Hong Kong |
| Headquarters | Hong Kong International Airport |
| Employees | 225 |
| Agency Executive | MCP Chan, Controller |
| Website | |
| Government Flying Service official website | |
The Government Flying Service (GFS) is a disciplined unit of the Government of Hong Kong SAR. It was established on April 1, 1993, when Hong Kong was under British rule. It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF), which was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. After Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the GFS remains as a government unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and is responsible for search and rescue (SAR), air ambulance, firefighting and police operations.
The service operates from the southwestern end of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. Before the opening of the Chek Lap Kok airport in 1998, it operated from the old Kai Tak Airport (i.e. the former Hong Kong International Airport). GFS patrols a 400 nautical mile radius of Hong Kong's Maritime Search and Rescue Region, as well as the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR), which covers most of the South China Sea basin.
In 2007, the former dispersal in the old Kai Tak Airport was re-opened as a sub-base, providing refueling and other supporting services for GFS's helicopters.
| Government Flying Service (Hong Kong) | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Chinese: | 政府飛行服務隊 | ||||||||||
| Simplified Chinese: | 政府飞行服务队 | ||||||||||
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Contents |
[edit] Operations
GFS is broken down to operational sections:
- Operations Section - day-to-day core functions (i.e. Search and Rescue)
- Training and Standards Section - professional standards and development
- Engineering Section - maintenance of GFS equipment
- Quality Section - compliance to operational standards
- Administration Section - administration, human resources, finance, supplies, etc...
- Helicopters can land on 5 highways in Hong Kong to attend to road related recovery operations
[edit] Fleet
The fleet currently comprises:
| Builder | Model | Type | Number | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
British Aerospace  United Kingdom |
Jetstream 41 | search and rescue/maritime surveillance aircraft | 2 (B-HRS and B-HRT) | 1999?- | Long range/offshore SAR missions, aerial survey and survellience |
Eurocopter  Germany /  France |
AS 332L2 Super Puma | inshore/offshore search and rescue helicopter; fire fighting | 3 (B-HRL, B-HRM and B-HRN) | 2002- | replaced the Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk |
| Eurocopter Germany / France |
EC 155 B1 | aeromedical services, inshore search and rescue, VIP and government personnel transfer | 4 (B-HRU, B-HRV, B-HRW, B-HRY) | 2002- | A fifth one, B-HRX crashed on a mission in 2003. |
The fleet has previously included:
| Builder | Model | Type | Number | Dates | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beechcraft  United States |
Super King Air | maritime survellience aircraft; VIP aircraft | 2 | 1993-1999 | from RHKAAF; replaced by BAe Jetstream 41 |
| Sikorsky Aircraft United States |
S-70A Black Hawk | medium lift helicopters | 3 (B-HZJ, B-HZI, and B-HZK) | 1993-2002 | from RHKAAF; used for search and rescue and by the Hong Kong Police Force; replaced by Super Puma AS332 L2 |
| Sikorsky Aircraft United States |
S-76 Spirit | utility helicopter | 6 | 1993-2002 | from RHKAAF; used by the Government of Hong Kong and VIP service |
| Slingsby Aviation United Kingdom |
T-67M-200 Firefly | trainer | 4 | 1993-1996 | from RHKAAF |
Aircraft paint scheme is white and orange. Prior to 2002, the fleet colours consisted of:
- white and orange
- blue, white and red - mostly the S-76
- two tone grey - mostly the S-70A
[edit] Gear
- Flight suit or jumpsuit
- Life jacket
- Helicopter helmet
[edit] Personnel
GFS employs 238 personnel and they are comprised of:
- 178 commissioned/disciplined personnel
- 60 civilian personnel
Most of the pilots in the GFS were localised prior to the handover in 1997, as former RAF and other British military personnel departed Hong Kong.
The GFS is lead by a controller, who reports to the Secretary for Security. The current controller is Captain Brian Y M Butt.
Other senior officers of the GFS are:
- Departmental Secretary
- Chief Operations Officer
- Chief Training and Standards Officer
- Chief Aircraft Engineer
- Manager (Operations)
- Manager (Quality Assurance)
- Manager (Quality & Flight Safety)
- Senior Aircrewman Officer (Operations)
[edit] Rank
Ranking of personnel of the GFS are as follows:
- 1 Bauhinia and 1 Laurel Wreath with Crossed Feather
- Controller
- 1 Bauhinia and 2 Pips
- Chief Pilot
- Chief Aircraft Engineer
- 1 Bauhinia and 1 Pip
- Senior Pilot
- Senior Aircraft Engineer
- Senior Aircrewman Officer
- 1 Bauhinia
- Pilot I
- Aircraft Engineer
- Aircrewman Officer I
- 3 Pips
- Pilot I
- Aircraft Engineer
- Aircrewman Officer I
- 2 Pips and 1 Bar
- Pilot II
- Aircraft Engineer
- Aircrewman Officer II
- Chief Aircraft Technician
- 2 Pips
- Pilot II
- Chief Aircraft Technician
- Senior Aircraft Technician
- Aircrewman Officer III
- 1 Pip
- Cadet Pilot
- Senior Aircraft Technician
- Aircraft Technician
- Aircrewman Officer III
[edit] Controllers
List of past controllers of the GFS:
- Captain Michael Chan
[edit] GFS in the media
- The service's official theme song, Wishing You Well So Much (多想你好), was sung by Andy Lau.
- The TVB drama "Always Ready" was filmed inside GFS HQ and starring Ekin Cheng.
[edit] See also
- Hong Kong Disciplined Services
- Hong Kong Police Force
- Hong Kong Auxiliary Police Force
- Hong Kong Fire Services Department
- Correctional Services Department
- Customs and Excise Department
- Immigration Department
- Civil Aid Service
- Auxiliary Medical Services
Other
