Djoko Prasetyo Involved In Two Hostage Rescue Missions

Helicopter Association International announced Tuesday the 2009 Robert E. Trimble Award recipient, Djoko Prasetyo; Pilot, PT Airfast Indonesia, Jakarta, Indonesia.

Prasetyo graduated from the Civil Aviation Academy, Indonesia, in 1975 and from South West Airline/Arizona Helicopter Aviation School in Scottsdale, AZ in 1978.  He has more than 18,000 flying hours; more than 10,000 of these have been accident-free high altitude operations.

Prasetyo has worked for many organizations, including as Operations and Safety Manager for Conoco Oil Company. He has amassed an impressive knowledge of equipment and procedures including offshore; onshore; logging survey; heli-rig; seismic; laser equipment survey; aerial photography up to 20,000 feet; geology; drilling rig moves; long line up to 13,000 feet; and hoist operations.

Prasetyo joined PT Airfast Indonesia in 1992. His regular flying region includes Tembagapura village at 6,000 feet, and Grasberg Mountain at 14,000 feet. In 1995 he executed a pinnacle landing at 14,500 feet to retrieve the remains of American and Australian flight crews lost during the Second World War.

In 1996, several Dutch and British tourists were abducted by separatists near the gold and copper mine at Irian Jaya, Papua New Guinea. During the three-month release negotiations, Prasetyo flew Red Cross negotiators from village to village, on several occasions coming under fire from the separatists. When he retrieved the hostages from no man’s land, he was forced to again execute a pinnacle landing on a hanging rock. A kidnapping of a timber company's employees also resulted in Prasetyo bringing out hostages under fire. For these acts, the Indonesian Government awarded him the State Medal of Bravery.

In June 2006, Prasetyo was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation from PT Freeport Indonesia in recognition of his outstanding contribution to search and rescue by finding numerous people missing on Aru Island. He was again awarded a Certificate of Appreciation in November 2006, in recognition of his outstanding service in the evacuation of victims of the Trigana aircraft crash at Jaya Wijaya Mountain.

Prasetyo is active in providing high altitude mountain training for Airfast Helicopter crews and for Indonesian Army Aviation. Special Forces and Indonesian Army Aviation groups have named Prasetyo an "Honorary Member."

All winners will be recognized at Heli-Expo 2009's annual "Salute to Excellence" Awards Banquet on February 23, 2009 at 8:00 pm in Anaheim, CA.

FMI: www.heliexpo.com, www.rotor.com