Hobart pilot Roger Corbin remembered as ‘fearless, generous’ by those whose lives he saved

A MAN who lost his life in tragedy has been remembered as a hero by the people whose lives he saved.

Kelvin Howe meets his rescuers left to right Sergeant Mike Gillies, Constable Damian Bidgood and Rotary Rescue Helicopter pilot Roger Corbin

A MAN who lost his life in tragedy has been remembered as a hero by the people whose lives he saved.

Fearless, caring, generous and passionate are just some of the words that come to mind of those plucked from catastrophe by helicopter pilot Roger Corbin.

The 57-year-old father of three from Otago Bay plunged to his death on Tuesday when an aerial exercise at Hobart Airport went horribly wrong.

For Pat Frost it was a cruel fate for a man to whom she owes her life.

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In 2002 she and three others crashed their helicopter in Tasmania’s remote Great Western Tiers.

All four, seriously injured, lay motionless for up nine hours in freezing temperatures before they were spotted by Mr Corbin’s rescue helicopter.

“He was important to me by taking me off the mountain when he did, otherwise I wouldn’t be here to talk to you today,” Mrs Frost told the Mercury.

“For someone who had rescued a lot of people ... we couldn’t save him, it’s very tragic.”

Whenever she caught up with him all she could do was hug him.

“We just cuddled because how do you thank someone for saving you from dying there’s no words to describe it,” she said.

Roger Corbin has been remembered as a hero by those whose lives he saved.

Kelvin Howe, of Caveside, who crushed his vertebrae that night, echoed his co-survivor’s words.

“For Roger I owe my life. He was the pilot who got us out under extreme weather conditions … you only can describe it as amazing the way he rescued us that night,” he said.

“He actually hovered his helicopter a metre off the ground nearly full revs for us to be loaded in.

“They said that we probably would have gone out in body bags the next morning.

“My thoughts are now with Allana and their daughters, just an amazing man. What they must be going through now is terrible, devastating.”

Kelvin Howe, left, meets his rescuers, from right, rescue helicopter pilot Roger Corbin, Constable Damian Bidgood and Sergeant Mike Gillies.

Michael Patterson was one of seven who Mr Corbin and rescuers plucked from Mount Strzelecki, on Flinders Island, after a light plane crash in 2010.

He said Mr Corbin was a “very brave man, very skilled at his job”.

“He was also a generous person, obviously we’re saddened by the news of his death,” he said.

Mr Corbin’s wife Allana and daughters Isabella, Indiana and Sophia, along with RotorLift Aviation staff, said his passing came with “great sadness”.

“Roger will be hugely missed and we will have more to say as circumstances permit,” they said in a statement.

They extended their “heartfelt gratitude and appreciation” to Airport Rescue and Fire Fighting, Tasmania Police, Ambulance Tasmania, Hobart International Airport officials and others who attended Tuesday’s disaster.

Allana and Roger Corbin.

Premier Will Hodgman said the loss of one of Tasmania’s most experienced pilots, a linchpin of the state’s air rescue service, was a blow to the state.

(He was) a well loved character, a remarkable contributor to Tasmania in providing support through his choppers to communities in distress … a really important part of the Tasmanian story.”

“So this is terrible news, we can’t imagine the pain and grief that the family are suffering we extend our best wishes to them.”

The death of the three decade highly awarded veteran whose rescue work extended to the South Pacific and Asia left colleagues shattered.

Sergeant Damian Bidgood, the Tasmania Police crew chief with Rotor-Lift, had known Mr Corbin for 18 years.

“Roger was just — there isn’t any other way to put it — an absolutely exceptional pilot,” he said.

“The only thing he cared about more than delivering helicopter services was his family.”

Tasmania Police Sergeant Damian Bidgood said Roger Corbin was an “exceptional pilot”. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Senior Constable Josh Peach, deputy crew chief, said the “loss will definitely be felt”.

“Everything at RotorLift came from him,” he said.

“His staff and us in the police respect everything he’s done, so we’re all going to do our very best to keep things running.”

Police Association president Pat Allen said there were “countless members of the community alive today” thanks to Mr Corbin.

Police Association president Pat Allen. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

“Not only with the direct involvement of Roger as a pilot, but also because of his passion for training others,” he said.

“His legacy will live on.”

Stepping outside his usual role, Mr Corbin piloted the chopper that flew Dark Mofo’s audio art piece Siren Songthrough the city each morning for 10 days.

“Roger’s contribution and enthusiasm were instrumental in the creation of the work,” Dark Mofo organisers said.

“Roger will be remembered ... by us as the pilot of the helicopter that brought the city so much joy, as we looked towards the night sky together at dawn and dusk.”

The Corbins moved to Tasmania from Sydney in 2000, setting up RotorLift as the state’s emergency helicopter service and building the state’s first 24-hour helicopter base.

Mrs Corbin was severely injured in a plane crash in 1990 but learned to walk again and went on to become a motivational speaker.

She would go on to became the first woman to circumnavigate mainland Australia solo in a helicopter.

In 2007 Mr Corbin was an Australian Search and Rescue Award recipient, cited for his more than 700 emergency missions including the rescue of a lone Japanese sailor from a yacht off the coast of Tasmania in treacherous conditions.

In 2004 and 2011 he received bravery awards for the Western Tiers and Flinders Island rescue missions.