[Rick Masters]

March 22, 2016

[Rick Masters]

March 20, 2016

A Westland Sea King rescue helicopter of the Royal Norwegian Air Force's 330 Squadron winches aboard a paraglider pilot with back injuries from a snowy mountainside in Scandinavia. The man fell during take off and tumbled a long way down the mountain. All Norwegian SAR Sea Kings carry both doctors and an anaesthesiologist, making them the perfect rescue venue for soaring parachutists.

Norway SAR has 12 Sea Kings. Six bases are equipped with 24-hour flight crew "ready rooms," providing lift-off in 15 minutes of notification.

[Rick Masters]

A $2.5 million dollar* 1997 Bell 407 is used to rescue a speedflyer with broken ankles.
*base price before installation of medical equipment.


Powered by a single Rolls-Royce/Allison 250-C47, this helicopter uses a revolutionary composite hub and 4-blade assembly without specified life limits. The composite blades are said to provide a smoother ride, making it a top choice for severely injured soaring parachutists lucky enough to have one available. Talk about tough, in 2007, Colin Bodill and Jennifer Murray flew a Bell 407 around the world, crossing both the Arctic and Antarctic poles!

[Rick Masters]

A French helicopter SAR team demonstrates cliff rescues with a EC145 Eurocopter.
Le Film “Entraînement Poulie-Traction” DAG Modane & CRS Alpes Albertville février 2016
https://vimeo.com/157772719

[Rick Masters]

April 8, 2017

Dangerous work!

[Rick Masters]

May 26, 2018

The astronomical numbers of tree landings by paragliders worldwide are only made possible by citizen subsidies.
Without these citizen subsidies for rescue, paragliding would become much riskier.