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.