[email protected],
have never made a fixed line lift in the dark and never heard about. Have made hoist ops at night in flat area. Low altitude ops in mountains at night is very dangerous and need a lot experience under such circumstances. Maybe due to the use of NVG or FLIR it becomes better possible in the future. At the moment fixed line at night it's not imaginable for me. To operate a hoist at night in confined area, facing some rocks around you and lifting up guys from a spot you couldn't land, is also a thing only for a specialiced, experienced and fearless or crazy crew.
Somedays it's not possible to get help from a helicopter. If the weather conditions, daytime and equipment doesn't allow a rescue mission its quite fate. We try to give our best but have our limits like the ground units. But we try to improve...