Winged-S Rescue Award to Bristow helicopter crew
In May, a Bristow crew operating out of the Prestwick SAR base rescued a man who was stranded at sea for 32 hours.
Sikorsky presented Bristow Helicopters with the Sikorsky Winged-S Rescue Award on 12 September in recognition of a life-saving mission in the North Atlantic. The award was accepted during the 2017 Defence and Security Equipment International exhibition.
Bristow Helicopters operates S-92 helicopters on behalf of the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for search and rescue. Sikorsky recounted how in May 2017, a Bristow crew operating an S-92 helicopter out of the HM Coastguard Prestwick SAR base rescued 22-year-old Matthew Bryce who was stranded at sea for 32 hours: “Bryce ventured out from the west coast of Scotland to enjoy a day of surfing on a Sunday morning, later causing concern to his family when he did not return. Authorities were alerted the following day, and after an extensive multi-agency air and sea search lasting several hours, Bryce was found by the crew of the Prestwick S-92, call sign Rescue 999, drifting off the coast of Northern Ireland. During a mission lasting over six hours, the crew of Rescue 999 hoisted Bryce from the sea that Monday evening. He was safely transported to a Belfast hospital and later recovered.”
The Winged-S Rescue Award Program honours providers who perform rescues flying a Sikorsky helicopter.