Search & Rescue Helicopters

 military, helicopter, rescue service

HMS Gannet Search & Rescue Flight (Preswick RNAS)

It operates three Sea King Mk5 helicopters in the military and civilian Search and Rescue (SAR) role across Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland. The crews cover an area from Ben Nevis in the north, the Isle of Man and the Lake District to the south, east to Edinburgh, the Firth of Forth and the Borders, west to Northern Ireland and extends 200 miles west of Ireland over the north Atlantic, giving an operational area of approx. 81,000 square miles.They are painted Red and Grey to aid visibility and to denote them as rescue assets. The aim is to have one ready to go at any time, with a second being available within a few hours should it be needed. This allows the third to be in deeper maintenance.