Can civilian pilots help find missing persons?

[Bladecrack]

Following on from the debate on the missing person thread, here is some evidence of a successful outcome in this type of situation from the Robinson Helicopters newsletter. The pilot in question has directly saved the lives of missing people on 2 separate occasions, and I believe his actions are to be commended. As suggested, it might be more appropriate to start a new thread on this subject and leave the other one for relevant updates to that particular case. I hope it has a happy ending.

John Rachor again used his R44 to find a missing person in the Oregon wilderness.A Jacksonville, Oregon woman spent the night in the Applegate wilderness after she lost her way and injured her knee while hiking. Coreen Clark, 34, called 911 at 8:00 p.m. on Easter Sunday to report that she was lost somewhere on Mt. Baldy. An exhaustive all night ground search by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department failed to find Clark.
The following morning, Lt. Pat Rowland launched an aerial search, but it was volunteer. John Rachor, in his R44, who spotted Clark at about 8:45 am in an area known as Little Gray Back.
Rachor is the same pilot who found the Kim family in December of 2006. Rachor, at his own expense, used his R44 to find Mrs. Kim and her children alive in the wilderness of southwest Oregon after they had been missing for a week.

BC

[RotaryWingB2]

Sky Watch (http://www.skywatchcivilairpatrol.org.uk/)

[Heli-Ice]

My answer is Yes.

[Gas Producer]

Can civilian pilots help find missing persons?Do you mean civilian as opposed to military or private pilots as opposed commercial pilots in a SAR/Medevac role?

A great deal of SAR work is the bastion of non-military organisations and carried out exceptionally well by appropriately qualifed commercial pilots with no military experience at all.

My view is do what can be done to save someone, but do not do something beyond your experience level.

So, as a private pilot, flying around terrain with which you are familiar, spotting someone lost and landing in a safe area and then flying them out is fine. Even better if the private aircraft owner is happy to do that for free.

Anybody creating additional risk for themselves or others so they can be a hero should stay at home and watch it on TV. Not suggesting that was the case here though.

GP :O

[JTobias]

All,

I would definitely say yes, in fact Harrison Ford, the well known actor is apparently the Search and Rescue pilot for his county using his own Bell 407.

Ford is a private pilot of both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters, and owns an 800-acre (3.2 km²) ranch in Jackson, Wyoming, approximately half of which he has donated as a nature reserve. On several occasions, Ford has personally provided emergency helicopter services at the behest of local authorities, in one instance rescuing a hiker overcome by dehydration.[31]

Source Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Ford)

Joel:ok:

[chopjock]

Anybody creating additional risk for themselves or others so they can be a hero should stay at home and watch it on TV.

Hmm, not sure I agree with that.

If a private pilot is prepared to go out and help search, even at additional risk then good for them. If they save a life in the process and become a hero, that's good, isn't it? :)

[Whirlygig]

If a private pilot is prepared to go out and help search, even at additional risk then good for them.Er, no. You should never put yourself at risk in order to attempt to save someone else's life.

Cheers

Whirls

[rick1128]

You should never go beyond your capabilities or the capabilities of your machine. If you do, the potential increased significantly that you could become just another person needing to be rescued, increasing the burden on SAR organizations. And going out just to become a hero is an attitude that is just begging to put a pilot in a position that is way beyond the capabilities of themselves and/or the machine.

[chopjock]

You should never go beyond your capabilities or the capabilities of your machineagreed.

And going out just to become a hero is an attitude that is just begging to put a pilot in a position that is way beyond the capabilities of themselves and/or the machine.Surely in order to become a hero, you have to put yourself at risk and save someone first? I'm not sure it's possible to just go out to become a hero. It is quite do able to go out, fly within your and the aircraft's limitations, spot the misper, rescue them (if possible) and as a consequence of that, be called a hero. Still don't see what's wrong with that.

[ShyTorque]

Can civilian pilots help find missing persons?

Of course - every UK police helicopter is flown by a civilian pilot. Many civilians are ex-military.

However, spotting / finding from the air is one thing. Rescuing someone is a different ballgame and wasn't the OP's question!

[timex]

CJ, Going out to find someone is slightly different than going out to become a "Hero"...that to me sounds a bit strange.

[ironchefflay]

As long a people dont start strapping winches to their own aircraft and going looking for people who need a lift, i dont think there's anything wrong with anyone who has the means to do whatever they can to help if that is their wish.

the rest of the discussion about staying within your limits, not endangering others, getting in the way etc, is kind of stating the obvious, and i would hope could be taken as read.

[B.U.D.G.I.E]

yes.....land your helicopter and have a look on foot....

[rotorrookie]

I have done it few times, first time I did when I was still a student pilot and me and my instructor helped with with search for a missing person, think my logbook says 3hrs SAR dual command hehe
I cant see anything wrong with it as long there is some common sence in it, and co-operate with the search command, then you most likely to some make diffrence.

[bolkow]

Yes, in fact statisticaly, and I have researched this one, civilian pilots are 30% more successfuly at finding missing individuals because they are not liomited to the in-bred routines that limit the ability to think outside the box that professionals such as the RAF sea king crews are frequently subject and limited to.
OK, OK now before you start biting crab I am only joking, calm down man!:8

[Bladecrack]

Do you mean civilian as opposed to military or private pilots as opposed commercial pilots in a SAR/Medevac role?

To clarify - by civilian I mean non professionally trained SAR - not military, police, coastguard etc.

Rescuing someone is a different ballgame

Indeed, and I wouldn't expect the average ppl for example to be capable of carrying out a rescue, but simply to report what they found and the location to the appropriate agency so that the SAR resources can be tasked. I believe that is what the pilot did in the story I quoted.

BC

[Letsby Avenue]

We all want to be a hero but I would say enjoy your hobby, fly to the seaside etc but leave the professional stuff to the professionals.... :ok:

[Agaricus bisporus]

In my experience the ratio of "spots" between Civilian pilots and their police "observers" was such that a helicopter containing only a pilot would be very nearly as effective as one with one, three, five or nine coppers in it, and one with just 2 pilots twice as effective or better...

[John Eacott]

With our paucity of SAR assets in Victoria it is quite normal for other machines to assist in a search, especially Media helicopters who will benefit from headlining "Missing Cabinet Minister found by Channel 7 helicopter" or similar ;)

Inevitably done in the knowledge of the Search authority (VicPol for overland searches in Victoria), I've assisted in quite a few searches and recoveries for missing skiers/snowboarders in our Alpine High Country.

For missing aircraft the search will be done under Aussar control, and registered civilian assets (fixed wing and rotary) are called upon as required. In most cases there will be as many (if not more) 'civilian' helicopters searching as Police or EMS machines, but always with a briefing and an assigned area, plus observers on board to do the searching. Aussar also pay an agreed hourly rate for the registered machines.

With such a large land mass and relatively small number of Police/EMS aircraft, this system works well :ok:

[rick1128]

My comments were based on my experience and observations. Like medevac, it is easy to get caught up in the moment and push just a 'little bit'. And before you know it, you are well beyond the capabilities of yourself and/or the machine. This is how many EMS accidents happen. The crew gets caught up with trying to safe a person's life and before they realize it, they are beyond where they intended to be risk wise. Usually too late.

It has also been my experience that those who go out to be a 'hero' tend to be ignored. Except maybe by the local press. The ones who get awards by their peers for heroism, tend to be the ones who were just doing their jobs, did what needed to be done and then quietly rode off into the sunset.