As an oil rig was violently rocking and breaking apart off the coast of Western Australia in 1983, then-Flight Lieutenant Ian Warburton hovered overhead in a RAAF UH-1B Iroquois helicopter ready to rescue people on board.
"Mobile oil rigs have legs that stabilise them, but these legs were jacked up as the rig was being moved," he said.
"The mechanism to lower the legs became damaged in bad weather, causing the rig to rock and break apart."
Two Air Force helicopters, along with a civilian support helicopter, evacuated everyone from the rig to safety before it sank later that night.
Now-Wing Commander Ian Warburton this month received an eighth clasp to his Defence Long Service Medal from Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Stephen Chappell.
He is believed to be the first Air Force member to receive an eighth clasp, representing 55 years of service.
Wing Commander Ian Warburton originally joined the Air Force as an airframe fitter at 15 years old in 1970. By the time he completed the course he had his civilian pilot's licence.
His first posting was to Amberley before deploying to the US as part of the maintenance team supporting the ferrying of the first six F-111 aircraft to Australia.
He posted to Richmond in 1975 to work on Hercules aircraft and started night school.
Inspired by his uncle who was a World War 2 fighter pilot, he applied to commission and fulfil his lifelong dream to fly.
Wing Commander Warburton started his RAAF pilot's course in 1977 and graduated in 1978.
Noting Air Force is 104 years old, Wing Commander Warburton has been in Air Force for more than half of its life.
His flying journey began with the Iroquois helicopter before converting to Chinooks and then Black Hawks at the end of 1988 before eventually being posted to fly the Hawker Siddeley 748 aircraft from 1995 to the end of 1997.
He then posted to Canberra in various staff positions, including the Airworthiness Agency and the Directorate of Flying Safety where he was promoted to Wing Commander.
Wing Commander Warburton was appointed officer-in-charge of the accident investigation team for a fatal F-111 crash in Malaysia in 1999, receiving a Chief of Air Force Commendation for his work.
Between 2002 and 2006 he served at the Australian Command and Staff College as a member of the Directing Staff, then at Joint Operations Command, and held a role at Capability Development Group.
Before retiring from the permanent Air Force in 2013, he was the Assistant to the Air Force Scientific Adviser.
He then worked in the Defence Flight Safety Bureau, and since 2014 has been a member of the RAAF/Indonesian Air Force Safety and Airworthiness Joint Working Group.
After 55 years of service he will retire at the end of June this year.
Noting Air Force is 104 years old, Wing Commander Warburton has been in Air Force for more than half of its life.
He still flies civilian aircraft, and in 2022 he and his wife, Connie, flew their Cherokee 140 in the Outback Air Race, an event held every three years to raise money for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
After winning in 2022 he will compete in this year's event in August.
If you would like to support Wing Commander Warburton's fundraising for the event, visit royal-flying-doctor-service-western-operations.grassrootz.com/outbackairrace25/team-10-the-wacky-warbos
