Level: Intermediate (ADFELPS Level 6)

A POWER FOR GOOD

Objectives
At the end of the tasks you will be able to:
•  skim to identify main ideas
•  scan to identify key information WOFF Duncan Slaven with a
•  predict the meaning of vocabulary, using conductor struck by lightning
contextual clues and word attack skills when he was at RAAF Base
Darwin
Courtesy of "Air Force News"
 
Task 1
Reading for the main idea

Skim the article below to find out what it is about.

Choose the statement from the alternatives in the box on the right which best
summarises the main topic in the article.

A POWER FOR GOOD

WARRANT Officer (WOFF) Duncan Slaven and his 23-person Ground Electronics
Systems team at RAAF Base Tindal are well versed in abnormal situations. WOFF
Slaven is the Officer-in-Charge of the team that is attached to No. 44 Wing's Air Traffic
Control Flight.

The team is responsible for the maintenance of all radar, communications and
NAVAIDs. The gear includes the electronic suites at the Delamere range and team
members are sent there, a 400km round trip on dirt tracks.

In early May Tindal's morning shift Air Traffic Controllers arrived at work to discover that
a burst water pipe had flooded the tower and taken out the radios and other electronic
equipment vital for the control of the 30-odd aircraft movements expected during the
day. Enter WOFF Slaven's team.

“We literally turned the tower off to let it dry,” WOFF Slaven said. “We brought up
vehicle-mounted comms and then got into the tower with a mobile air-conditioning unit
and every dryer we could find in the place. Once we had it dry [about 24 hours later] we
turned our attentions to the gear. We dried it out and it all worked fine.”

On another occasion three 100- amp fuses blew three hours before the start of a major
operations envelope. “That got our attention,” WOFF Slaven quipped. “I want maximum
effectiveness ,” he said. “This job is the same whether we have one aircraft up, 100, or
none. We aim for 100 per cent online. I have a great team – they are well trained and
do a great job.”

He said lightning strikes are a major challenge. In his office he keeps a conductor
scorched and melted from a lightning hit on the control tower at RAAF Base Darwin
when he was based there. The strike took out all NAVAIDs and communications.

Acknowledgement:
Adapted Courtesy of "Air Force News"

the training given to RAAF personnel to deal with fixing communications'

problems.
the RAAF Base Tindals Ground Electronics Systems team's ability to deal with a
range of communications maintenance problems swiftly and efficiently.
all the different problems that can occur with communications on a RAAF Base.

Task 1
Reading for the main idea
Task 2
Vocabulary development - guessing meaning from context

Focus on the words in bold in the article.

Match the correct meanings for each word by typing the letter in the box provided.

Click on 'Check Your Answers' when you have finished.

1. well versed a. full operating capacity

2. abnormal b. destroyed or damaged
3. round trip c. unusual or different
4. literally d. knowledgeable
5. comms e. actually happened even though it sounds unlikely
6. 100 per cent on-line f. the journey to and from a destination
7. conductor g. abbreviated form of communications
8. scorched h. something that electricity passes through
9. took out i. burnt slightly and marked by the heat

Task 2
Vocabulary development - guessing meaning from context

1.D 2.C 3.F 4.E 5.G 6.A 7.H 8.I 9.B

Task 3
Reading for specific information

Read each incomplete statement.

Scan the article to find the specific information to complete these sentences.

Click on 'Check Your Answers' when you have finished.

1. No 44 Wing's Air traffic Control Flight is in charge of

2. The water from the burst water pipe in the control tower at Tindal was dried out using a

and .

3. Warrant Officer Slaven believes that

are a great challenge.

Task 3
Reading for specific information
Task 4
Reading for comprehension- matching sentence parts
Match the beginnings and endings of the statements to reflect the meaning in
the article by typing the correct letters in each box.

Click on 'See Text' to see the article.

Click on 'Check Your Answers' when you have finished.
a.….taking out all
1. Warrant Officer Slaven's
NAVAIDS and
role is ….
communications.
2. Warrant Officer Duncan b. ….the Officer-in-
Slaven and his Ground Charge of the team
Electronics System team that is attached to No.
at RAAF Base Tindal are 44 Wing's Air traffic
good at dealing with …. Control Flight
3. Tindal's Air Traffic
Controllers arrived at work
c. ….maximum
to find a burst water pipe
effectiveness and 100
had flooded the control
per cent on-line.
tower and taken out the
communications in ….
d. ….early May in the
morning. (the Air
4. Warrant Officer Duncan
Traffic Controllers
Slaven aims for ….
worked the morning
shift)
5. Damage done by the
lightning strike at RAAF
Base Darwin (that
e. ….abnormal
scorched and melted the
situations
conductor in Warrant
Officer Slaven's office)
resulted in....

Task 4
Reading for comprehension- matching sentence parts

1.B 2.E 3.D 4.C 5.A