2025/06/14
The Oregon Disaster Airlift Response Team (ODART) returns to the Aurora Airport known as KUAO (at Willamette Aviation) for the fourth year to participate in a realistic exercise on Saturday June 14, 2025. To volunteer, contact KD7ISA.
Pilots from the region {flying their own private planes) transport actual food between airports in the region as they might do after a genuine disaster. Upon arrival, the exercise food is picked up and delivered to local food banks.
Local amateur radio operators at participating airports trade mission messages (via Winlink VARA HF) in support of the mission.
Radio operators at the destination airport Winlink a local weather report to the origination airport, then the report is passed to the proper pilot. Then upon takeoff, hams of the origination airport send a take-off message with ETA to the destination airfield. Upon landing, a landing message is radioed back to the origination airport confirming safe landing.
Upon arrival, the pilot hands off the results of an in-the-air survey of local infrastructure as observed from above. Those results are radioed out by VARA HF Winlink .
We use our own plain text Winlink messages (coded with insertion tags) that allows pre-formatting of the messages, selection of drop-down choices for accuracy and subject line discipline.
In past years We have set up the Canby Fire Department communication trailer (HF/VHF/UHF) and an NVIS antenna. We set up a VHF/UHF station in the hangar.
Directions: driving directions
Willamette Air
Willamette Aviation Service, LLC
