Had to do a couple of live long-line `extractions` some 55 yrs ago during our `Confrontation` with the Indonesians.The first was supposed to be a lift of 4 SAS,out of an LZ that they would have`cleared` of `boobies`,hopefully,but as they were `in a hurry` and zig-zagging to lay false trails,and one was ill,we were to winch them out...I, being a `junior` was acting as winch-operator,so off we went,hoping 150-200ft. highto find the SARBE beacon.They weren`t near the LZ,but still in primary jungle,and the winch only was 60ft long.So, I lowered down 2 abseil tapes with 2 rescue strops and a sandbag as `penetrators` thru` the trees which were probably 150-200 ft. tall.After much arm signalling( no direct comms) 2 got into the strops,and we lifted them out and flew them to a beach about 3-4 miles away,then went back to pick up the other 2,back to the beach,and then back to base.One had lost his rifle as we`d managed to drag them thru` a few trees,so he was mighty `pissed-off`,expecting a `Court-martial`,but it was `all sorted..."
The second one was about a Gurkha CSM who was shot,badly injured during a fire-fight on a `Claret` operation. A winch-out was authorised and I was again the winch-op volunteer.It was again a SARBE search to find the `clearing` that the casevac was at,but it was also now almost nightfall and it had started to rain heavily as we set off from a support artillery LZ.Eventually we found the `hole` and some torchlights of the ground-party,and let down to the tree-tops,but there was no way in,still well above winch cable length..So,`plan B`,attach stretcher to 2 abseil tapes,attached to aircraft,lower into hole and wait,illuminated by lightning and heavy rain,as the evening thunderstorm got going.We also had the Gurkha battalion Colonel on board who was trying to abseil down to the ground-party,however,I had to tell him using long `£%$^&**%$ words that he was not...
Eventually,we got some sort of signal that it was all secure below, and started to lift out,and then put the landing lights on to check we were above the trees with the stretcher/casevac,some 200 ft below,turned around and headed back to the LZ,probably a couple of miles,put it on the ground,into aircraft and then back to base,then to hospital...The pilot was absolutely `knackered`,so we were sent on leave....
The `back-story` to the rescue ,for those who wish can be found on WIKI,`Claret Operations`,references,` External reports,`,Captain John Masters RNZA MC`....bottom of page...
Sorry it`s not your normal long-lining accounts.....