Coastguard crew wins Goodrich Hoist Award
A UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter crew from Lee-on-Solent has won the Goodrich Hoist Award at Helitech International 2018.
A UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter crew from Lee-on-Solent has won the Goodrich Hoist Award at Helitech International 2018 for a rescue in September 2017 which saw the team rescue 13 visitors who became trapped on a rotating viewing tower in Dorset, UK.
Captain Simon Tye, Captain Simon Hoare, Winch Operator Chris Hughes, and Winchman Paramedic Alf Kitwood performed what the UK Coastguard called ‘one of the most technically challenging SAR missions in recent memory for the crew’. The crew used an AW189 aircraft to evacuate the group, taking several trips to do so.
“There was a very high degree of skill involved in this rescue, it was evident very early on that this was going to be no routine call-out,” said Nick Horst, Chief Crewman at Lee-on-Solent. “The team had to cope with a very high hover and winching height, in fading light, for almost four hours. In a hugely challenging set of circumstances, including more than two hours of winching time, the crew successfully brought the group of very frightened people safely back to land.”
The Lee-on-Solent base was the first to bring in the AW189 into service for the Coastguard, which is operated on its behalf by Bristow Helicopters Ltd.
“Their trust in each other, the aircraft and equipment – in particular the winch – are a superb example of their dedication to achieving the incredibly high standards which UK SAR crews across the country strive to meet,” added Horst.