Helicopter team in milestone rescue
Published: September 16, 2005
The coastguard helicopter rescue service has carried out its 10,000th mission since it was launched in Britain more than 20 years ago.
The service, which is operated by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), has rescued 6,500 people and clocked up more than 14,500 flying hours since 1983.
Stornoway Coastguard’s helicopter team, which is one of four civil helicopter rescue teams in the UK, received the 10,000th call-out when it went to the aid of an injured hillwalker on the Isle of Skye.
The MCA and helicopter contractors praised the aircrews for their bravery in the face of the dangerous missions they undertake, including cliff and sea rescues.
The four helicopters and their crews are contracted from Bristow Helicopters and are based at Sumburgh in Shetland, Stornoway in the Western Isles, Solent in Hampshire and Portland in Dorset.
The Portland helicopter helped rescue people from the floods in Boscastle, Cornwall, in 2004, while the Shetland helicopter played a part in rescuing 56 crewmen from a Latvian ship in November 1993, earning an airman the Queen’s Award for Gallantry.
In 1997 the rescue service suffered its own loss when aircrewman Billy Deacon was washed overboard while involved in the rescue of the crew of a Shetland merchant vessel. Mr Deacon was posthumously awarded the George Medal for his role in the rescue.
Commending the service for its work, Peter Dymond, head of search and rescue at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, said: “It is timely to record our appreciation of the valour and expertise that the various aircrews have provided over those 20 years. Bristow helicopters have provided an outstanding service to Her Majesty’s Coastguard throughout that time and their crews have been instrumental in saving hundreds of lives from inland, the coastline and the open sea.”
Richard Burman, managing director of Bristow Helicopters, added: “This important milestone marks 20-plus years of an excellent professional relationship between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Bristow Helicopters Limited, during which a strong foundation has been established for the future of civil search and rescue.”
Ed Thomson, watch manager at Stornoway Coastguard, said: “It is a big thing for our base in Stornoway to get the 10,000th mission and our crews are delighted.”
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