RAF assistance needed in major "road" incident in N. Scotland!

[newswatcher]

Twenty one people have been taken to hospital following a tour coach crash in the Scottish Highlands. ..................................three people with serious injuries were taken by Royal Air Force Helicopter to Raigmore Hospital, in Inverness and an air ambulance took a seriously injured man to Caithness General Hospital.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3090564.stm

Pretty remote up there, well done guys!

[Jordan D]

Well done guys ... were any of them from Lossie/Kinloss?

Jordan

[Training Risky]

Any skates out there know if 819 are still providing SAR out of Prestwick?

I can't find any mention of 819 on the Navy's website, the only Navy SAR Sqn listed is at Culdrose.

Well done 202 Sqn anyway!;)

[PPRuNe Radar]

Try here ;) Though I am not sure if it is still 819 or part of an HQ Squadron.


HMS Gannet SAR (http://www.royal-navy.mod.uk/static/pages/2865.html)

HMS Gannet SAR Flight

Based at Prestwick airport in Southwest Scotland, it provides 24-hour military and civilian search and rescue across a large area of Scotland, Northern England and Northern Ireland. The flight operates 2 Sea King Mk 5 helicopters and consists of 16 officers, 55 ratings and 32 civilian staff. Tasking is varied and ranges from recovering fallen climbers in winter snow to rescuing injured fishermen up to 200 miles offshore. Additionally, Gannet SAR provides an important medical evacuation service to the many island communities on Scotland's West coast.

[Training Risky]

Thanks PPRUNE Radar!

I'm still not sure if 819 Sqn are still at Prestwick or not. As that link goes straight to the same website that has no details of 819 Sqn; I know they were definately there in 2000, as I had an Observer mate there.

Can it be true? There is no Fish-head SAR cover in Scotland anymore?:(

STOP-PRESS:

(Just uncovered this nugget on the 'History' section of HMS Gannet:)

Farewell to 819 Naval Air Squadron

1 November 2001 saw the decommissioning of 819NAS at HMS Gannet. 819NAS had been in residence for 30 years and performed anti-submarine duties in defence of the Clyde. Also involved in extended world wide deployments, many local exercises, weapon testing and submarine Commander training they had their major impact on the Scottish community through the Search and Rescue. They assisted with the Piper Alpha disaster on 6 July 1988, were the first helicopters on scene in the aftermath of Lockerbie bombing on 20 December 1988, assisted in the search for the Solway Harvester off the Isle of Man and were first on scene at the Airtours crash near Glasgow airport.

---------------------------

Hooray for 202 Sqn!

[jockspice]

Gannet SAR has been taken over by a flight from 771, so fear not, the RN are still picking up bermuda-short-wearing-eejits from the slopes of Ben Nevis!!:ok:

[Stan Bydike]

The original start to this thread indicated that we were pretty remote up here. That really is insulting. We now, although its taken more than a few years, have a pretty good existance here in the North of Scotland.

Condescend somewhere else.

edited for a missing word:)

[newswatcher]

Sorry if I upset you Stan. I did not intend "remote" to mean "backward". I am sure that your "quality of life" is better than mine in darkest Hampshire!

However, Bettyhill to Inverness is over 100 miles. If I lived that far from my major accident trauma centre, I would consider that to be remote, especially during the "golden hour". What is the provision of Fire Brigade accident rescue tenders? If my "local" one(3 miles) is not available, there is another 5 miles away.

[Training Risky]

The fact that the Highlands ARE remote has nothing to do with your quality of life, Stan. You can be miles from anywhere and still have good facilities.

Look at the Falklands: 12 000 miles from the UK and a very high standard of living, despite being spitting distance from a load of hostile Argies!

[BEagle]

A 'very high standard of living' in the Islas Malvinas?? REALLY?? YGBSM!!

And why do you think that the inhabitants of Argentina are in any way 'hostile'? Personally I wonder why on earth they'd ever want the place back; Buenos Aires or Stanley......hmmm, tricky one that!