The Burnett River is doubling as a runway as water bombers queue to refill while deployed to combat bushfires in the region.

Many of the most lucrative jobs in aviation are held by airline pilots, positions thought to be highly secure and in-demand just last year as a wave of older pilots retired. The pandemic has upended that assumption, for a few years at least. In its wake, anxiety and a search for alternative employment is pervasive among air transport pilots.

Aircraft capability has evolved from the early simple mechanical “pull the lever” designs, to today’s computer-controlled “drop by wire” firegate systems equipped with advanced telemetry and data gathering capability.