Matt, these videos highlight the unspoken and often anonymous work that the RCAF SAR squadrons perform every day. This channel showcases the professionalism and technical expertise of 103 Squadron. I hope your flight, squadron, and wing commanders recognize the outstanding work you’re doing here. Bravo Zulu from a former RNZAF and current RDAF medic.
Very well said brother. Public awareness of these sorts of missions is so superficial. People hear a search and rescue but for the most part are clueless about what is actually involved. From the preparation of the flight to the actual challenges of this sort of flying. Matt is bringing that to the forefront for a he public. I’m also super happy that their seniors allow this to be shown. This also helps tremendously with getting funding for new equipment from the government. Keep up the excellent work guys
Thanks for the kind words. It was indeed my purpose for starting all that; to show the people what we do. The institution I work for was kind enough to let it happen as long as it was 1) it was clear it was an unofficial channel, 2) I didn't start talking about stuff I shouldn't talk about, and 3) didn't shine negative light on the organization. I just figured I should do something with the 250gb (and climbing) of footage I have.
Another neat rescue - good that the guy's snowmobile still had power for the lights. Poor guy though; hard enough to walk through crud like that when you're 100% let alone his state. I imagine he was _very_ glad to see you guys come out of the murk.
His reflective clothing really helped as well. That stuff just glows under NVGs. He was also smart enough to just stay with his sled and not go wandering into the woods or something.
@@mattfrom103 - Yeah, on all the emergency first aid/response training I've done, they really stress that you shouldn't wander for that reason. Was cool as well to see on that second called-off rescue how powerful your search light is.
@@Dakiraun It's a human reaction. People panic at the thought of doing, think to themselves, 'OMG, I have to do something', and start going in any direction because that 'is something'. It's hard to over come the human instinct to not stay put. That and some people refuse to admit their defeat and think they will just get out of it. Thank goodness for newer technology now a days. The cell phones, mini GPSs, beacons, sat devices...etc. have really cut down on old fashion 'being lost'.
@@mattfrom103 Oh man, yeah - technology has made a massive difference. There is an excellent channel called Ocean Liner Designs here on RUclips that covers a lot of cool stuff around Ocean Liners, military ships and ship disasters; back 100+ years ago, it's amazing how completely "alone" a person or crew was in a disaster from lack of technology.
Wow that is a really tough environment to operate within! You folks are such professionals and thank God you are there to do this work. Thanks for sharing as it is important for all Canadians (and the world) to see this and support your efforts. Thanks for your service and Happy New Year to you and all at 103 Sqn. Cheers.
Nice to see some insight into what some of the SAR have to endure on the media! As a former rescued person more than once thanks to 103 Gander for pulling it off, their professionalism shone through when I needed it! Happy New Year and safe flights to all who participate!
Fantastic work - subbed. Used to be part of the CNE air show and had the honour of meeting some of your colleagues. Even scored a ride round the CN Tower on a Lab last year in service. Very cool!
That dude was really lucky. But we’ll done with the search start point. That is always difficult to assess where to begin the search from as the Last Known Position is not always easily defined. Can’t wait to hear when your unit gets the FLIR thermal system installed and up and running. That is a true game changer and brilliant especially in your cold conditions searching for warm bodies
@@RtCmdr The current Cormorant is a pretty bog standard helicopter all things considered for a military airframe. The upgrade funded in 2022 will procure 3 more airframes bound for Trenton and upgrade all current airframes from the 511 standard to the 612 standard as well as most of the way to the Norwegian SAR variant with the the AESA Radar and LiDAR swapped out for an L3 Harris WESCAM EO/IR Pod and an Artemis Mobile Phone Detection Location system.
All the things I've read and watched about helicopters over the years, nobody's ever mentioned hovering might not be possible with certain fuel levels. Very interesting, had no idea. An hour of search time doesn't feel great when you're the one missing, just makes it more critical to carry as much signaling equipment as possible in my mind whenever I'm out somewhere remote.
To be clear not being able to hover only happens at full fuel and high density altitudes. Most of the time we should be able to hover. This is true of almost every helicopter on the planet. The evening in the video it turns out we could due to the winds, we just chose to land for other reasons.
Bravo Zulu! Loving the flight planning explanations at the start of these videos. Happy New Year to our brave men and women in uniform and to everybody indeed
Hey, at least the guy was wearing reflective clothing. Too many people I know wear their favourite black or brown winter jacket when they go out into the wilderness.
Hey Matt, really appreciate you showing fuel logistics. I’m in school getting my helicopter ratings now and it’s nice to see that part of your preflight planning. Question: You said the only alternate available is NS, but then you factored in a failed approach to St. John’s. Is St. John’s technically an alternate but you expect the weather to be too bad to get down there? Where was the patient being dropped off at? If Gander wasn’t an option as an alternate, how did you eventually get back there? Did you just have to wait out the weather at an alternate? Hope this line of questioning makes sense. Again I really enjoy seeing the work that goes into the heli planning. Bonus question: With the weight of fuel + the patient, did you have to perform a running takeoff, or was there even physical space for that?
So in this case. St John's was my destination. I factored in 1 approach and I can't get in. I then have to get to my alternate, hold for a bit, and then conduct 1 approach. How did I get back to Gander? I think either forecast changed, which happens a lot around here. Or I got into St John's, got more fuel, refilled, and few to Gander. Just because something is not a valid alternate it doesn't mean I can't get in. It just means I can't assume that I will get in. We just did a normal take off. The winds really helped.
Happy New Year! All the best for 2025 from Northern Finland, well within the Arctic Circle. - Great work you and your teams are doing, and great they let you publicise it. - Safe flights!
Wow, great video Matt. So we know NL is a lot of bog. With the Cormorant being so fuel heavy and snow covering a lot of terrain, and not having a solid freeze lately, how do you find an adequate site to land heavy? The snowshoeing out looked tough!
In this case there was a spot that was wind swept and showing rocks. That was safe to land on. In the winter time we normally land on logging roads or the few farm fields around. Those are usually safe to land on. But generally if you see a flat open area....it's a bog, don't land there.
That man looked miserable, even with the face blur, absolute exhaustion trying to get through that wet heavy snow. Do you guys mark the location so the feller can get his sled back? I'm sure there's more important things to attend to, just a curious thought. Great video as always.
Yes. We usually write down the location on paper and hand it to them, as well as pass it off to our coordination centre, and write it down in our mission report. Not too long ago we had a guy leave behind his very expensive mountain bike at night. He had his friends go get it in the morning. About the only larger things we won't leave behind are firearms.
I believe we call the term 'post holing'. As in instead of walking on the snow you are creating post holes. Incredibly exhausting to try to walk like that.
Interesting to see a flight plan in the beginning. When you get dispatched for a Search and Rescue call is there someone that immediately starts planning the route/weather/fuel etc while you guys are getting the helicopter ready to fly? I guess when you get a call everyone needs to works as fast as possible to get things done and figured out. Its interesting to me
No. It's mostly the Aircraft Commander (me) that does it with help from the First Officer at times. Someone else will tow the aircraft out and fuel to the amount I request. Everyone is responsible for loading the gear they will need. Honestly, the flight planning doesn't take more than a few minutes in most cases. Enroute you can find tune it to make it more efficient. An iPad with Foreflight does all the number crunching for you.
Surprised to hear about the potential hover problem with that fuel amount you arrive on-scene with. Just an issue where if you hoist someone you're maybe getting up over max gross weight?
No, it's just at max gross weight the helicopter might now have the power to hover at hoist height. That evening, with the winds, we did have the ability to hover at hoist height but with the gusty conditions we thought it would be best to just land near by. We didn't realize it would prove to be that much of a challenge to walk.
I've gotten stuck in a snowmobile and quad in those conditions. It is so exhausting just trying to walk 10m/30' to tie a winch line to a tree. With all your gear on you instantly sweat. I sometimes crawl accross the snow so I don't break through.
Loving your videos, amazing work in very challenging conditions. Just wondering what sort of equipment you have for seraching, do you have infrared/ thermal cameras?
Just a selection of different search lights and night vision goggles (NVGs). The Cormorant is undergoing a massive upgrade should see it get enhanced optical/infra red (EO/IR) capability.
Thanks for doing what you do. Tax dollars were “well. spent’ Locally, Hearts Content Barrens are notorious for bad weather and difficult conditions… It looks like the weather and visibility must have improved during your video. Nevertheless, being wet and cold , I don’t think he would have lived thru the night… Thanks again.
It is possible though seldom used as it would take a day to get a fuel truck out there. The Coast Guard has a numerous of fuel caches scattered all over the island that we use instead. However, none of them have instrument approaches. The challenge here was having our legal IFR requirements. Also the weather here can change quite quickly, you might not be able to make it to the cache.
Join the CAF either as a pilot or become a flight engineer if you want to be a SARtech that requires you spending minimum 3 years in the military if your in a combat branch like infantry, combat medic etc then you need to apply to the school
If IFR how do you let down to get below cloud approaching the search area as it will have no surveyed approach of course? Hope this question makes sense.
It's a European helicopter. Every unit of measurement is in metric; kilos for weight, bar for pressure, celsius for temperature..etc. Flight instrumentation is in North American standard which is mostly imperial; inches of mercury for pressure, height in feet..etc.
I forget the story he told us. I think it was either broke down, ran out of gas, or got really stuck. But he did get separated from his group earlier which made matters worse.
$0. This is a service provided by the Government of Canada, more specifically the Royal Canadian Air Force. Every year my Squadron is budgeted and allocated a certain number of hours to fly for both missions and training. Had we not used the few hours flying this mission, they would have been instead been used for training.
$0 is the case for rescue across all of Canada as well. I’m a Ground Search and Rescue volunteer in British Columbia, part of Canada’s SAR Trifecta: RCAF, CCGS, GSAR. Regardless of who rescues you from those sources, and whether it’s a federally, provincially/territorially or municipally funded SAR asset, rescue is free. There are two reasons: morally, a human life is worth more than money, and ethically, if we charge for rescue, a subject/patient would be less inclined to call for help, which would put them potentially into even greater danger.
The snowshoes we have are generally more compact and easy to store aboard the helicopter. They are not meant to trek long distances. There is a limit to the amount of gear we can carry.
That dude was really lucky. But we’ll done with the search start point. That is always difficult to assess where to begin the search from as the Last Known Position is not always easily defined. Can’t wait to hear when your unit gets the FLIR thermal system installed and up and running. That is a true game changer and brilliant especially in your cold conditions searching for warm bodies
The LKP was figured out by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. They had a pretty good idea of where he was but, as you saw in the video, getting to him is another story. Going by sled would have been challenging and probably resulted in more stuck snowmobiles and missing persons. Going by foot would have been incredibly slow, exhausting, and again, resulted in more stuck people. But reflectors are very very easy to spot under NVGs, they really stand out.
@ Excellent that the JRCC had such good info on his LKP but as you say given the conditions it was still super challenging for sure. But what a relief to know that from a fuel planning perspective that that issue was no longer relevant as you were able to locate him so quickly. Managing fuel when there is no fuel available nearby is always so challenging especially when getting down to your last 10 min on location of nothing has been found. We had the Spectrolab SX16 fitted to both the S76 and AS355 with the IR filter that worked like a gem in conjunction with our NVGs. Do you have an IR filter on yours as well?
@ I found that the NGGs were really compromised if using the nitesun without the filter. And too “bright” at times even in the dark jungle canopy if operating it below 300 feet. Anything much more than 500 feet AGL I found that the nitesun with unaided vision was not very effective in a jungle environment. Ot just didn’t penetrate the canopy. On the beaches it was great at night. But not effective for searching in the jungle. Unless we had the filter on as well as goggles. Which is why we got the filter for it as well as having the FLIR camera made night bush operations a perfect complement A lot of our patrol work in support of our local police was for fleeing suspects rather than SAR so also having on a bright light made us a huge target. So not an ideal tactical situation But from 1000 ft AGL with no navigation lights on and only the NVGs and thermal cameras made finding the suspects super easy and kept us out of small arms fire at 1000 ft. They could hear us but as long as we kept an wide orbit around the target and kept them in sight they didn’t have a good chance to “retaliate” But keep the vids coming. I really enjoy seeing your unit in action
@josephdefreitas56 We have filters on our individual front search lights but never use them as it makes them too dim. The Nitesun doesn't have a filter but it is predominately used by the guy searching out the side who doesn't normally have NVGs so it works. They know not to point it forward. But in heavy snow, mist, fog, or other obscuring phenomena we usually have all lights off including strobes and navs.
@@mattfrom103 ahhh makes perfect sense with the setup of your nitesun and your SAR Tec guy knowing not to point the NS forward. You guys really have it really well set up there for sure. A top notch operation And thank you so much Matt for your replies to so many of the comments here.
Matt, these videos highlight the unspoken and often anonymous work that the RCAF SAR squadrons perform every day. This channel showcases the professionalism and technical expertise of 103 Squadron. I hope your flight, squadron, and wing commanders recognize the outstanding work you’re doing here. Bravo Zulu from a former RNZAF and current RDAF medic.
Very well said brother. Public awareness of these sorts of missions is so superficial. People hear a search and rescue but for the most part are clueless about what is actually involved. From the preparation of the flight to the actual challenges of this sort of flying. Matt is bringing that to the forefront for a he public. I’m also super happy that their seniors allow this to be shown. This also helps tremendously with getting funding for new equipment from the government. Keep up the excellent work guys
Thanks for the kind words. It was indeed my purpose for starting all that; to show the people what we do. The institution I work for was kind enough to let it happen as long as it was 1) it was clear it was an unofficial channel, 2) I didn't start talking about stuff I shouldn't talk about, and 3) didn't shine negative light on the organization. I just figured I should do something with the 250gb (and climbing) of footage I have.
Another neat rescue - good that the guy's snowmobile still had power for the lights. Poor guy though; hard enough to walk through crud like that when you're 100% let alone his state. I imagine he was _very_ glad to see you guys come out of the murk.
His reflective clothing really helped as well. That stuff just glows under NVGs. He was also smart enough to just stay with his sled and not go wandering into the woods or something.
@@mattfrom103 - Yeah, on all the emergency first aid/response training I've done, they really stress that you shouldn't wander for that reason. Was cool as well to see on that second called-off rescue how powerful your search light is.
@@Dakiraun It's a human reaction. People panic at the thought of doing, think to themselves, 'OMG, I have to do something', and start going in any direction because that 'is something'. It's hard to over come the human instinct to not stay put. That and some people refuse to admit their defeat and think they will just get out of it.
Thank goodness for newer technology now a days. The cell phones, mini GPSs, beacons, sat devices...etc. have really cut down on old fashion 'being lost'.
@@mattfrom103 Oh man, yeah - technology has made a massive difference. There is an excellent channel called Ocean Liner Designs here on RUclips that covers a lot of cool stuff around Ocean Liners, military ships and ship disasters; back 100+ years ago, it's amazing how completely "alone" a person or crew was in a disaster from lack of technology.
Thanks Matt,
Love your real world senarios,
especially how a strong wind gave you a break
on fuel required in the hover.
Great learning videos.
curious about NS being an alternate. You would fly right over Clarenville who has a small airport.
@@letsrecalibrateClarenville does not have weather reporting services therefore we are unable to use it as a legal alternate for planning.
My buddy just retired from the RCAF and took on a tech position with 103. I'd love to go over for a visit, I miss the action...
Wow that is a really tough environment to operate within! You folks are such professionals and thank God you are there to do this work. Thanks for sharing as it is important for all Canadians (and the world) to see this and support your efforts. Thanks for your service and Happy New Year to you and all at 103 Sqn. Cheers.
Can't overstate the appreciation for you and the others in your profession for all that you do to help and to save!
Nice to see some insight into what some of the SAR have to endure on the media! As a former rescued person more than once thanks to 103 Gander for pulling it off, their professionalism shone through when I needed it! Happy New Year and safe flights to all who participate!
Fantastic work - subbed.
Used to be part of the CNE air show and had the honour of meeting some of your colleagues. Even scored a ride round the CN Tower on a Lab last year in service. Very cool!
Good stuff. Airline Dispatcher here in Canada - I enjoy seeing the military side of flight planning.
That dude was really lucky. But we’ll done with the search start point. That is always difficult to assess where to begin the search from as the Last Known Position is not always easily defined.
Can’t wait to hear when your unit gets the FLIR thermal system installed and up and running. That is a true game changer and brilliant especially in your cold conditions searching for warm bodies
What? The Cormorant doesn't have a FLIR system?
@@RtCmdr The current Cormorant is a pretty bog standard helicopter all things considered for a military airframe. The upgrade funded in 2022 will procure 3 more airframes bound for Trenton and upgrade all current airframes from the 511 standard to the 612 standard as well as most of the way to the Norwegian SAR variant with the the AESA Radar and LiDAR swapped out for an L3 Harris WESCAM EO/IR Pod and an Artemis Mobile Phone Detection Location system.
All the things I've read and watched about helicopters over the years, nobody's ever mentioned hovering might not be possible with certain fuel levels. Very interesting, had no idea. An hour of search time doesn't feel great when you're the one missing, just makes it more critical to carry as much signaling equipment as possible in my mind whenever I'm out somewhere remote.
To be clear not being able to hover only happens at full fuel and high density altitudes. Most of the time we should be able to hover. This is true of almost every helicopter on the planet. The evening in the video it turns out we could due to the winds, we just chose to land for other reasons.
Bravo Zulu! Loving the flight planning explanations at the start of these videos. Happy New Year to our brave men and women in uniform and to everybody indeed
Thanks very much Matt. Bit of a hidden world you have let us into.
thank you matt
Wow this is really awesome! You definitely saved his life. You guys are heroes
wow BZ ...That snowmobiler sure needed you when you showed up! kudos
thank you for your service!
Great job. you guys are amazing. please keep posting these videos.
Hey, at least the guy was wearing reflective clothing. Too many people I know wear their favourite black or brown winter jacket when they go out into the wilderness.
The stuff just glows under NVGs. A simple mesh safety vest can go a long way to being found.
Congrats to 103 from a SERABC Nav Region 03. Rescue
Nicely done, well presented and very professional.
Hey Matt, really appreciate you showing fuel logistics. I’m in school getting my helicopter ratings now and it’s nice to see that part of your preflight planning.
Question: You said the only alternate available is NS, but then you factored in a failed approach to St. John’s. Is St. John’s technically an alternate but you expect the weather to be too bad to get down there? Where was the patient being dropped off at? If Gander wasn’t an option as an alternate, how did you eventually get back there? Did you just have to wait out the weather at an alternate? Hope this line of questioning makes sense. Again I really enjoy seeing the work that goes into the heli planning.
Bonus question: With the weight of fuel + the patient, did you have to perform a running takeoff, or was there even physical space for that?
So in this case. St John's was my destination. I factored in 1 approach and I can't get in. I then have to get to my alternate, hold for a bit, and then conduct 1 approach.
How did I get back to Gander? I think either forecast changed, which happens a lot around here. Or I got into St John's, got more fuel, refilled, and few to Gander. Just because something is not a valid alternate it doesn't mean I can't get in. It just means I can't assume that I will get in.
We just did a normal take off. The winds really helped.
@@mattfrom103gotcha thanks for the info
Happy New Year! All the best for 2025 from Northern Finland, well within the Arctic Circle. - Great work you and your teams are doing, and great they let you publicise it. - Safe flights!
Wow, great video Matt. So we know NL is a lot of bog. With the Cormorant being so fuel heavy and snow covering a lot of terrain, and not having a solid freeze lately, how do you find an adequate site to land heavy? The snowshoeing out looked tough!
In this case there was a spot that was wind swept and showing rocks. That was safe to land on. In the winter time we normally land on logging roads or the few farm fields around. Those are usually safe to land on. But generally if you see a flat open area....it's a bog, don't land there.
These videos are great. I love the planning you share up-front.
You're killing it with these videos Matt! You're getting better every post i love it.
Bravo Zulu Matt and Crew! And happy new year :)
That man looked miserable, even with the face blur, absolute exhaustion trying to get through that wet heavy snow. Do you guys mark the location so the feller can get his sled back? I'm sure there's more important things to attend to, just a curious thought. Great video as always.
Yes. We usually write down the location on paper and hand it to them, as well as pass it off to our coordination centre, and write it down in our mission report. Not too long ago we had a guy leave behind his very expensive mountain bike at night. He had his friends go get it in the morning. About the only larger things we won't leave behind are firearms.
4:49 oh come onnnnnnnn!!!!!!!! as usual, great footage. i wonder if i'm too old to get into the SAR helo career path.
I believe we call the term 'post holing'. As in instead of walking on the snow you are creating post holes. Incredibly exhausting to try to walk like that.
Great content bro. This is type of content that will get young people eager to enlist
Interesting to see a flight plan in the beginning. When you get dispatched for a Search and Rescue call is there someone that immediately starts planning the route/weather/fuel etc while you guys are getting the helicopter ready to fly? I guess when you get a call everyone needs to works as fast as possible to get things done and figured out. Its interesting to me
No. It's mostly the Aircraft Commander (me) that does it with help from the First Officer at times. Someone else will tow the aircraft out and fuel to the amount I request. Everyone is responsible for loading the gear they will need. Honestly, the flight planning doesn't take more than a few minutes in most cases. Enroute you can find tune it to make it more efficient. An iPad with Foreflight does all the number crunching for you.
Great stuff. Thanks for all you do and for posting up these videos!
One thing I’ve done in those situations is walk in front of the victim to help pack the snow in and get a trail going. Still sucks though.
Surprised to hear about the potential hover problem with that fuel amount you arrive on-scene with. Just an issue where if you hoist someone you're maybe getting up over max gross weight?
No, it's just at max gross weight the helicopter might now have the power to hover at hoist height. That evening, with the winds, we did have the ability to hover at hoist height but with the gusty conditions we thought it would be best to just land near by. We didn't realize it would prove to be that much of a challenge to walk.
Thanks for the video. The planning explanation is really interesting. Keep up the good work!
Hey Matt, these videos are great. As a retired SAR Tech it's great to see the sharp end at work. Good memories! RESCUE! G.W.B. COURSE22
It must have felt like walking to the end of the earth.
I've gotten stuck in a snowmobile and quad in those conditions. It is so exhausting just trying to walk 10m/30' to tie a winch line to a tree. With all your gear on you instantly sweat. I sometimes crawl accross the snow so I don't break through.
Amazing video!
Recruiting needs to be making use of these vids.
Awesome work, BZ boys
Loving your videos, amazing work in very challenging conditions. Just wondering what sort of equipment you have for seraching, do you have infrared/ thermal cameras?
Just a selection of different search lights and night vision goggles (NVGs). The Cormorant is undergoing a massive upgrade should see it get enhanced optical/infra red (EO/IR) capability.
Happy New Year from B.C. Great work!! Bravo Zulu!
Thanks for doing what you do.
Tax dollars were “well. spent’
Locally, Hearts Content Barrens are notorious for bad weather and difficult conditions…
It looks like the weather and visibility must have improved during your video.
Nevertheless, being wet and cold ,
I don’t think he would have lived thru the night…
Thanks again.
Is the option of landing on a road and having a fuel truck meet you, an option? Like it’s done in Sweden.
It is possible though seldom used as it would take a day to get a fuel truck out there. The Coast Guard has a numerous of fuel caches scattered all over the island that we use instead. However, none of them have instrument approaches. The challenge here was having our legal IFR requirements. Also the weather here can change quite quickly, you might not be able to make it to the cache.
CH-149 Cormorant helicopter operating cost = $30,000.00/hour. Saving a lost
and stranded snowmobiler, "priceless". Probably a $100,000.00 rescue.
How do I get a job like this? it looks purposeful
If you’re in Canada: join the Royal Canadian Air Force!
Join the CAF either as a pilot or become a flight engineer if you want to be a SARtech that requires you spending minimum 3 years in the military if your in a combat branch like infantry, combat medic etc then you need to apply to the school
If IFR how do you let down to get below cloud approaching the search area as it will have no surveyed approach of course? Hope this question makes sense.
We have our own procedures for descending over the water to get below the clouds. It what we did in this case.
It's interesting how you guys do fuel calc in Kilos and not Lbs. Is lbs a Tac Hel thing?
It's a European helicopter. Every unit of measurement is in metric; kilos for weight, bar for pressure, celsius for temperature..etc. Flight instrumentation is in North American standard which is mostly imperial; inches of mercury for pressure, height in feet..etc.
Did he break down or was he just lost?
I forget the story he told us. I think it was either broke down, ran out of gas, or got really stuck. But he did get separated from his group earlier which made matters worse.
How much does it cost to get rescued?
$0. This is a service provided by the Government of Canada, more specifically the Royal Canadian Air Force. Every year my Squadron is budgeted and allocated a certain number of hours to fly for both missions and training. Had we not used the few hours flying this mission, they would have been instead been used for training.
@mattfrom103 can I volunteer to get "rescued" on your next training mission?
@@Mandatoryuser Unfortunately no. For training events we usually only use our own personnel to go and hide in the woods.
$0 is the case for rescue across all of Canada as well.
I’m a Ground Search and Rescue volunteer in British Columbia, part of Canada’s SAR Trifecta: RCAF, CCGS, GSAR. Regardless of who rescues you from those sources, and whether it’s a federally, provincially/territorially or municipally funded SAR asset, rescue is free.
There are two reasons: morally, a human life is worth more than money, and ethically, if we charge for rescue, a subject/patient would be less inclined to call for help, which would put them potentially into even greater danger.
That's not proper snowshoes.
The snowshoes we have are generally more compact and easy to store aboard the helicopter. They are not meant to trek long distances. There is a limit to the amount of gear we can carry.
That dude was really lucky. But we’ll done with the search start point. That is always difficult to assess where to begin the search from as the Last Known Position is not always easily defined.
Can’t wait to hear when your unit gets the FLIR thermal system installed and up and running. That is a true game changer and brilliant especially in your cold conditions searching for warm bodies
The LKP was figured out by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre. They had a pretty good idea of where he was but, as you saw in the video, getting to him is another story. Going by sled would have been challenging and probably resulted in more stuck snowmobiles and missing persons. Going by foot would have been incredibly slow, exhausting, and again, resulted in more stuck people.
But reflectors are very very easy to spot under NVGs, they really stand out.
@ Excellent that the JRCC had such good info on his LKP but as you say given the conditions it was still super challenging for sure. But what a relief to know that from a fuel planning perspective that that issue was no longer relevant as you were able to locate him so quickly. Managing fuel when there is no fuel available nearby is always so challenging especially when getting down to your last 10 min on location of nothing has been found.
We had the Spectrolab SX16 fitted to both the S76 and AS355 with the IR filter that worked like a gem in conjunction with our NVGs. Do you have an IR filter on yours as well?
@ I found that the NGGs were really compromised if using the nitesun without the filter. And too “bright” at times even in the dark jungle canopy if operating it below 300 feet. Anything much more than 500 feet AGL I found that the nitesun with unaided vision was not very effective in a jungle environment. Ot just didn’t penetrate the canopy.
On the beaches it was great at night. But not effective for searching in the jungle. Unless we had the filter on as well as goggles. Which is why we got the filter for it as well as having the FLIR camera made night bush operations a perfect complement
A lot of our patrol work in support of our local police was for fleeing suspects rather than SAR so also having on a bright light made us a huge target. So not an ideal tactical situation
But from 1000 ft AGL with no navigation lights on and only the NVGs and thermal cameras made finding the suspects super easy and kept us out of small arms fire at 1000 ft.
They could hear us but as long as we kept an wide orbit around the target and kept them in sight they didn’t have a good chance to “retaliate”
But keep the vids coming. I really enjoy seeing your unit in action
@josephdefreitas56 We have filters on our individual front search lights but never use them as it makes them too dim. The Nitesun doesn't have a filter but it is predominately used by the guy searching out the side who doesn't normally have NVGs so it works. They know not to point it forward.
But in heavy snow, mist, fog, or other obscuring phenomena we usually have all lights off including strobes and navs.
@@mattfrom103 ahhh makes perfect sense with the setup of your nitesun and your SAR Tec guy knowing not to point the NS forward. You guys really have it really well set up there for sure. A top notch operation
And thank you so much Matt for your replies to so many of the comments here.