Robert Brown
Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol
Robert is the kind of guy everyone wants on their team: eternally reliable, tremendously positive, a great collaborator and someone who is passionate about the purpose and values of Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol. Having previously worked in the Police, his experience is highly beneficial to the unit and is instrumental in the collaborative way we work with our search and rescue (SAR) partners.
Robert has achieved all the qualifications available to him with Air Patrol. As well as this, he continually encourages and supports others to attain the best they can, acting as a tremendous advocate for continuous improvement. He is always assessing Air Patrol’s processes and debriefing missions to ensure the unit continues to learn, develop and improve. Robert volunteered to attend the initial trials of both the Denray fixed-wing underwater escape training, and the in-water trials of the spare air equipment, providing support and leadership for other volunteers.
John McDowell
Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol
Over the past several years, John has played a crucial role in supporting Coastguard Auckland Air Patrol’s operational capability. He has held the position of Unit Training Coordinator for a number of years and through his time, has successfully driven several key initiatives.
With a strong background in diving, one of these initiatives was the introduction of new personal flotation devices (PFDs) with the ability to mount spare air bottles, enhancing crew safety in the unlikely event the aircraft is required to ditch. An additional scope of work John contributed towards is the development of the unit’s fixed wing underwater escape training.
Post COVID, the unit experienced a reduction in operational resource which seriously disrupted to the unit’s capacity to fill rosters and attend callouts. John successfully led the onboarding and development of new recruits, as well as leading the development of In-Flight Observers towards In-Flight Coordinator, effectively returning the unit to operational readiness.
Daniel Soudlenkov
Auckland Coastguard Air Patrol
Daniel joined Air Patrol three years ago as an In-Flight Observer and worked his way up to the front of the plane, becoming a Flight Coordinator, even though he was also a student at AUT at the time and working part-time as a librarian.
Daniel graduated from AUT with Honours, but also passed the test with Air Patrol on more than one occasion. As an Observer, Daniel participated in the search for a missing fisherman near Matarangi. The search was called on Christmas Day, and the crew spent three hours trying to locate and, subsequently, locating the body of the missing person. Flying as an Observer in these conditions was challenging, and Daniel carried it out with dedication and professionalism, an approach he continues to take as a Flight Coordinator.