Government Flying Service (Hong Kong)

Government Flying Service (GFS) (Traditional Chinese: 政府飛行服務隊; pinyin: Xiānggǎng Zhèngfǔ Fēixíng FúWùduì) is the flying-service unit of the Government of Hong Kong. It was established on April 1, 1993, when Hong Kong was under British rule. It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force (RHKAAF), which was an auxiliary unit of the United Kingdom Royal Air Force. After Hong Kong was handed over to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the GFS remains as a government unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and is responsible for search and rescue (SAR), air ambulance, firefighting and police operations.

The service operates from the southwestern end of Hong Kong International Airport at Chek Lap Kok. Before the opening of the Chek Lap Kok airport in 1998, it operated from the old Kai Tak Airport (i.e. the former Hong Kong International Airport). GFS patrols a 400 nautical mile radius of the Maritime Rescue and Coordination Centre (MRCC)., as well as the Hong Kong Flight Information Region (FIR), which covers most of the South China Sea basin.

[edit] Operations

GFS is broken down to operational sections:

Operations Section - day-to-day core functions (i.e. Search and Rescue)
Training and Standards Section - professional standards and development
Engineering Section - maintenance of GFS equipment
Quality Section - compliance to operational standards
Administration Section - administration, human resources, finance, supplies, etc...

Hong Kong Government Flying Service Eurocopter AS-332L2 Super Puma MkII

The fleet currently comprises (Aircraft Registration numbers):

Builder	Model	Type	Number	Dates	Details
British Aerospace United Kingdom	BAe Jetstream 41	maritime survellience aircraft	2 (B-HRS and B-HRT)	1999?	used for VIP and government officals
Eurocopter Germany / France	AS332 L2	search and rescue helicopter; fire fighting	3 (B-HRL, B-HRM and B-HRN)	2002	replaced the Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk
Eurocopter Germany / France	Eurocopter Dauphin EC155 B1	aeromedical services	4 (B-HRU, B-HRV, B-HRW, B-HRY	2002	A fifth one, B-HRX crashed on a mission in 2003
Beechcraft United States	Beech Super King Air	maritime survellience aircraft; VIP aircraft	2	1993?	retired 1998 and 1999 and replaced by BAe Jetstream 41
Sikorsky Aircraft United States	Sikorsky S-70A Black Hawk	medium lift helicopters	3 (B-HZJ, B-HZI, and B-HZK)	1993?	used for search and rescue and by the Hong Kong Police Force; retired 2002 and replaced by Super Puma AS332 L2
Sikorsky Aircraft United States	Sikorsky S-76	utility helicopter	6	1993?	used by the Government of Hong Kong and VIP service; retired 2002
Slingsby Aviation United Kingdom	Slingsby T-67M-200 Firefly	trainer	4	1993?	retired 1996

GFS employs 238 personnel and they are comprised of:

Most of the pilots in the GFS were localised prior to the handover in 1997, as former RAF and other British military personnel departed Hong Kong.

The GFS is lead by a controller, who reports to the Secretary for Security. The current controller is Captain BYM Butt.

Other senior officers of the GFS are:

Ranking of personnel of the GFS are as follows:

1 Bauhinia and 1 Laurel Wreath with Crossed Feather
- Controller
1 Bauhinia and 2 Pips
- Chief Pilot
- Chief Aircraft Engineer
1 Bauhinia and 1 Pip
- Senior Pilot
- Senior Aircraft Engineer
- Senior Aircrewman Officer
1 Bauhinia
- Pilot I
- Aircraft Engineer
- Aircrewman Officer I
3 Pips
- Pilot I
- Aircraft Engineer
- Aircrewman Officer I
2 Pips and 1 Bar
- Pilot II
- Aircraft Engineer
- Aircrewman Officer I
- Chief Aircraft Technician
2 Pips
- Pilot II
- Chief Aircraft Technician
- Senior Aircraft Technician
- Aircrewman Officer II
- Aircrewman Officer III
1 Pip
- Cadet Pilot
- Senior Aircraft Technician
- Aircraft Technician
- Aircrewman Officer III

The service's official theme song, Wishing You Well So Much (多想你好), was sung by Andy Lau.
The TVB drama "Always Ready" was filmed inside GFS HQ and starring Ekin Cheng.