My most memorable experience showed me the true value of a helicopter when faced with tragedy.
we were not a dedicated air ambulance, but our base 206 was outfitted with a stretcher kit.
one day an urgent call came to the base manager and the helicopter was requested by local paramedics to fly a critical patient from a car accident to the hospital.
I recall fuelling the helicopter while the base manager got his end of tasks readied in a hurry As soon as the second paramedic crew arrived at our base, the helicopter was running they loaded up and they were gone.
I heard nothing for a couple hours until the slap of the rotor blades approached on final.
the helicopter was a mess, but apparently the flight was successful in getting the patient to hospital and into the care needed.
the paramedics returned later to gather their things and clean up.
I felt nothing but pride for doing my part and that day and respected everyone else who did theirs. Helicopters are amazing tools, yet those that maintain them, fly them, or are associated in any way with them, create a team effort that made a difference that day, and over and over again every day around the world.