Cyclone Tracy: Disaster evacuation spurs 40-year military career

More than 70 people were killed and 80 per cent of the city was completely destroyed in the disaster.

Instead of celebrating Christmas, young Martin and family were among more than 30,000 people preparing to evacuate the flattened city.

"We sheltered at home until the eye passed overhead," he said.

"The house had some minor damage but my parents were worried about what might come next, so we drove to the cyclone shelter.

"When we returned, half the house was razed to the floorboards and my bedroom door was leaning against a pole, with my school bag still attached to the back of it."

In the days after, the young boy, together with nearly 10,000 other people, was flown out of the destroyed city by Royal Australian Air Force aircraft, including the C-130A and E model Hercules planes.

Twenty-five years later, now an Air Force pilot himself, Squadron Leader Copland flew the C-130E in its last year of service, before transitioning to the H model the following year.

"I don't know which flight I was evacuated on in 1974, but there's a 50 per cent chance I was in a C-130E and a seven in 12 chance I piloted the same aircraft," he said.

The resilience and determination of Darwin's residents, post-cyclone, are traits Mr Copland had to learn early in life, but they have enabled him to navigate the inevitable turbulence arising in an almost 40-year Air Force career.

His first bump came after high school.

"Towards the end of school I did work experience with 75 Squadron who were operating the Mirage in Darwin," he said.

"I decided I wanted to be a pilot. I passed all the interviews, but I was told I was short-sighted."

Instead, he signed up to a degree in aerospace engineering, joining the Air Force in 1986 at the brand new Australian Defence Force Academy in Canberra.

In his third year he decided to give pilot training another shot. Two ophthalmologist assessments later, his eyes were deemed fine.

After completing his pilot's training at RAAF Base Pearce in 1991, Mr Copland also qualified as a military paratrooper, and in 1998 spent 15 months as an Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Air Force.

"It was the year Air Marshal Errol McCormack changed the Air Force uniform from light blue to the old war time colours that we wear now, and I was one of the first to model it," he said.

"I used to fly the Chief and his visiting parties around. He could fly too, so he'd often sit in the right-hand seat as my co-pilot, which was a bit daunting."

In 2001 Squadron Leader Copland moved to 36 Squadron, the Air Force's strategic transport squadron based at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland, from where he flew tactical operations in Afghanistan, Sumatra, East Timor and the Solomon Islands.

But at the age of 44, Squadron Leader Copland swapped his wings for a stethoscope in a bid to become a doctor.

"I wanted the prospect of professional mastery and I thought medicine would give me that opportunity for continuous improvement," he said.

After 12 years, 'Doc Martin' now works as a reserve Medical Officer and as a contracted doctor to Defence.

His medical work sees him participate in training exercises, including Pitch Black, Talisman Sabre and Diamond Storm, often returning to his Territory home.