The National Safety Council of Australia

and the Beech Super King Air

The National Safety Council of Australia was founded in Victoria in 1928 as a coalition of non-profit organisations with the objective of fostering safety in industry, on the road and in the home. The direction of the Victorian Division of the organisation changed significantly in 1982 with the appointment of one John Friedrich as its director. German by birth, Friedrich was a charismatic yet enigmatic, hard-working character with an ability to get things done by circumventing red tape. He set about a dramatic expansion of the Victorian Division into an advanced rescue operation run along paramilitary lines. By the mid eighties, the NSCAV had amassed a large fleet of aeroplanes and helicopters as well as a converted 42 metre, 588 tonne oil rig tender the M.V. Blue Nabila which was fitted with a helipad. The fleet also included a 13m sail training yacht Eneseay, 40 trucks, earthmoving equipment, jet skis, various inflatables and a small manned submersible. The NSCAV assembled an elite cadre of highly trained rescue parachute jumpers and also ventured into training dogs and pigeons for use in rescues. In 1984, its staff totalled 100 but by 1989 staff had grown to 450. At its zenith, the organisation had an annual operating budget of $90 million. Its rapidly assembled fleet of aircraft, all painted a distinctive shade of yellow with black trim, raised many eyebrows as industry observers began to wonder where the money was coming from.

The answer came in late 1988 when it emerged that funds had been borrowed from the banks against assets claimed to be shipping containers full of rescue equipment. It was claimed that these fully equipped containers were hired out to other organisations. It transpired that while the containers did exist, the contents did not! Friedrich estimated that there were 200 of these containers by the time of the collapse. Matters were not helped by the banks themselves who were aggressively offering loans without due diligence. Friedrich claimed that he never approached the banks - the banks always came to him. When challenged in March 1989, Friedrich disappeared and a much-publicised police hunt ensued. After sixteen days, Friedrich was located in Perth and extradited to Melbourne where he spent six weeks in prison before being released on bail in May 1989. The official record shows that Friedrich, fearing imprisonment and deportation as an illegal immigrant, took his own life on 26 July 1991. By this time, the conspiracy theories abounded, including the seemingly obligatory claims of gun running and CIA involvement. When the organisation collapsed, its debts were estimated at a quarter of a billion dollars. However, it would appear that Friedrich never benefited personally from the fraudulent activity with all the funds going into the rapid development of what must be regarded as a remarkable organisation. When the NSCA collapsed, there ensued an urgent scramble to source replacement services from multiple other organisations. The collapse resulted in a mass disposal of company assets, many to other organisations who used them to provide the same services previously provided by the NSCA. At its zenith, the NSCA provided services that are not available in Australia today.

During its brief existence, the NSCA Victorian Division operated many types of aircraft such as Beech 200, Nomad, Dornier 228 and various Bell twin helicopters. Some of these types were already optimised for the rescue role but the Beech 200 was not and these aircraft received significant modifications. This is the story of those aircraft and how they were modified.

The Beech 200 jump door had its genesis in tragedy. On 17 July 1983, Aero Commander 685 VH-WJC ditched in Bass Strait following fuel supply problems. Despite the use of no fewer than twenty-three (23) aeroplanes and helicopters in the search and despite having sighted the pilot alive in the water, it ultimately proved impossible to effect his recovery. As a result of the inquiry that followed, the Department of Aviation asked the NSCA to develop a method of reducing response times. The NSCA's response was to develop a pararescue capability whereby a highly trained and fully equipped parachute jumper could be delivered directly to a crash site on land or at sea. Such a capability had not existed in Australia previously.

The Beech Super King Air 200 was already a popular type in Australia as it was fast, pressurised and had good range. However, the aeroplane did not lend itself to dropping stores or rescue parachute jumpers because its cabin door could not be opened in flight. All Beech 200s featured an airstair door which was hinged at floor level and opened outwards. Later models included a large cargo door which opened outwards and up with the smaller airstair door being inset into the larger cargo door. The aircraft was certified to operate with the airstair door removed but this was not always convenient and the ability to transit at high speed and altitude was lost. Consequently, John Friedrich himself approached the Australian Beechcraft agents, Hawker Pacific, to study the feasibility of an inwards opening jump door.

Hawker Pacific engineers solved the problem by removing the airstair door and building from scratch a new plug type door to the same dimensions but opening inwards and sliding forward on rails. The airstair door was set aside for possible future use but its external piano-hinge fitting remained on the modified aircraft. Concurrent with the jump door modification, the aircraft was also fitted with two large bubble observation windows on both sides of the fuselage aft of the door. These windows were already a Beech option for the King Air. Also two drop tubes were fitted in the cabin floor aft of the door. As with the inwards opening jump door itself, the aircraft had to be depressurised before these drop tubes could be used. As part of the jump door mod, the aircraft were also fitted with a wind deflector at the leading edge of the door opening. This deflector consisted of a narrow flat strip which made a minimal intrusion into the airflow. So small was this deflector that it sometimes cast a shadow which created the illusion that the door was cracked open but outwards! Various avionic modifications completed the transformation into a very capable rescue aircraft.

The first aircraft to be modified was VH-NSD which was imported from the United States and registered to NSCA on 17 April 1984. Although the NSCA fleet included six Beech 200s, only four aircraft were fitted with the modified jump door. All these aircraft were Beech 200C with the large cargo door. The following table lists the six Beech Super King Airs operated by the NSCA. The four aircraft with the modified jump door are shown as Door Type 3.

Pictures by Noel Nas

NSCA parachute jumpers about to exit a King Air via the jump door.

The Jump Door in its assembly jig.	With locking mechanism added.
The open Jump Door looking forward.	The open Jump Door looking aft.
The Jump Door closed.	The Jump Door partially open.
The Cargo Door open.	The Cargo Door open.
Observation Bubble and Drop Tubes.	Observation Bubble and Drop Tubes.

VH-NSD

VH-NSD

VH-NSD

VH-NSD

VH-FDA

VH-NSE

VH-AKV

VH-AKV

VH-AKV

VH-AKV

VH-NSE

VH-NSE

VH-NSF

VH-NSF

VH-NSG

VH-KZL

VH-NSG

VH-NSG

VH-NSG

VH-KZL

VH-NSR

VH-OTH

VH-NSR

VH-NSR

VH-NSS

VH-THS

VH-THS

VH-NSS

C-GYSK & C-GWSQ

VH-NIH

NSCA Parajumpers

Beech Queen Air VH-FWG

NSCA Chief Pilot Graham Vonhoff

The Drager Duocom Hyperbaric Chamber

Loading the chamber into a Beech 200.