THE FLOTILLA OF TAHITI

The flotilla of Tahiti has been reorganized since last year. Indeed, since September 1st, 2000, Tahiti’s 12S and Noumea's 9S grouped together to form the 25F, a flotilla which had already existed in the 50s and had worked on Orient headquarters with twin-engined planes, Neptune P2V7, but which was stopped in 1983. Moreover, in a few months, a detachment of the 25F will take its functions in Martinique. The staff that will be allocated to this detachment arrived at Faa's airport last Monday to follow a complete training on the aero naval headquarters of Tahiti.

The training will more particularly concern planes used by the 25F, F200 Gardian that was built especially for this flotilla and exists only in the French Polynesia. 

Besides its role of surveillance of territorial waters to check the fishing agreements are respected, the 25F plays an important role in the maritime help. The planes of the 25F can take off to begin researches of missing persons only under the orders the Operations Center of Taaone (Office of maritime rescue operations in the center of Maritime research, Phone number: 46 24 32). Aboard, crew consists of 2 pilots, a flight engineer, a navigator, a radar operator when search concerns boats and an operator radio which stays in contact with the authorities in the ground to collect all the elements to optimize the search. This type of mission can last between 4 and 5 hours which is the maximal autonomy of the 200F Gardian. After the plane has been full with fuel and a little of rest for Crew, the 200F Gardian is ready to take off again. Two big windows in the front of the plane and on each side facilitate the visual search, the plane flies in low speed (about 160 miles/hour) and between 100 and 200m heights. Once the persons in distress are found, a trapdoor on the ground of the plane allows the dropping a rescue canoe, AM15, or a container, which contains all the necessary survival elements. AM15 can contain between 15 and 22 persons and swells in the contact of water thanks to a CO2's bottle. Once the operation is done, crew contacts the closest boat to rescue people or in more serious cases, detachment 36F which possesses a Panther helicopter and can take in wounded persons. So, since 1984, more than 750 persons have been saved by the 25F.

You can meet the 25F and obtain further more information during the days of the sea in the naval headquarters of Papeete on June 15, 16 and 17, 2001 (free entrance)