Portuguese 751 Squadron reaches 2751 lifes saved milestone
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Portuguese 751 Squadron reaches 2751 lifes saved milestone
The portuguese air force 751 Squadron has reached and epic milestone in their history. 2751 lifes saved.
With Search and Rescue as primary mission, 751 Squadron was activated in 1978 with the SA-330 PUMA. In 2005 the Squadron received the first of 12 EH-101 Merlin helicopters. The squadron flies from 3 different locations: Montijo, near Lisbon, in Mainland Portugal, Madeira islands and the Azores islands.
Last sunday, 751 Squadron reached the 2751 lifes saved mark when an EH-101 Merlin flew an emergency evac of a pregant civilian between two islands in the Azores. As 751 motto says: "So others may live" ( Para que outros vivam )!
With Search and Rescue as primary mission, 751 Squadron was activated in 1978 with the SA-330 PUMA. In 2005 the Squadron received the first of 12 EH-101 Merlin helicopters. The squadron flies from 3 different locations: Montijo, near Lisbon, in Mainland Portugal, Madeira islands and the Azores islands.
Last sunday, 751 Squadron reached the 2751 lifes saved mark when an EH-101 Merlin flew an emergency evac of a pregant civilian between two islands in the Azores. As 751 motto says: "So others may live" ( Para que outros vivam )!
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9Aplus, here you have more info about 751 Squadron...but in Portuguese, time to use google translator 
Esquadra 751 | Facebook
Esquadra 751 | Facebook
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Hello SAR Blade,
the Merlins are working just fine now in Portugal, a/c available has gone way up, and we just participated in our first large scale international tactical exercise.
I understand we have a bit more range than you guys, although we don't have oil platforms to refuel.
Last year one of our Merlins flew non-stop from LPAZ (Azores) to our MOB (LPMT) non stop, roughly 770 miles, and we have had some rescues 350 miles offshore. We have also had some rescues in the Azores which sum up to a total of 1000 NM, with a mid-point refuel in a small island (LPFL).
Regarding SAR, we do all transitions to the hover with the AFCS, we take over just before entering the ship. Problems with the AFCS and flight controls have been sorted, although the a/c is very pitch sensitive.
The only thing I don't like is the winch position and the visibility from the front, in smaller vessels you have to descend to 40 ft or else you can't see the target (we hover at 60 ft as a rule).
It's a great SAR platform, and we are now discovering it is also a great tactical platform, I can only tell you good things about the Merlin in Portugal.
Best wishes!
the Merlins are working just fine now in Portugal, a/c available has gone way up, and we just participated in our first large scale international tactical exercise.
I understand we have a bit more range than you guys, although we don't have oil platforms to refuel.
Last year one of our Merlins flew non-stop from LPAZ (Azores) to our MOB (LPMT) non stop, roughly 770 miles, and we have had some rescues 350 miles offshore. We have also had some rescues in the Azores which sum up to a total of 1000 NM, with a mid-point refuel in a small island (LPFL).
Regarding SAR, we do all transitions to the hover with the AFCS, we take over just before entering the ship. Problems with the AFCS and flight controls have been sorted, although the a/c is very pitch sensitive.
The only thing I don't like is the winch position and the visibility from the front, in smaller vessels you have to descend to 40 ft or else you can't see the target (we hover at 60 ft as a rule).
It's a great SAR platform, and we are now discovering it is also a great tactical platform, I can only tell you good things about the Merlin in Portugal.
Best wishes!
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Ah, and by the way, some SAR action from 751 Squadron:
Esquadra 751 - Para que outros vivam - So others may live - 751 Squadron - YouTube
Esquadra 751 - Para que outros vivam - So others may live - 751 Squadron - YouTube
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Vertical A very big well done to your Squadron 
.
However, I have never been a fan of SAR units using "lives saved" as a measure of success. Any SAR crew will tell you that of all the persons that they have assisted, only a very small percentage will genuinely owe their life to this assistance alone. Also a SAR crew that completes a search and determines that their casualty is not in the search area has successfuly completed their SAR task.
IMO, Missions flown, aircraft and crew availability or even skill levels achieved are all much better measures of success in SAR.
.However, I have never been a fan of SAR units using "lives saved" as a measure of success. Any SAR crew will tell you that of all the persons that they have assisted, only a very small percentage will genuinely owe their life to this assistance alone. Also a SAR crew that completes a search and determines that their casualty is not in the search area has successfuly completed their SAR task.
IMO, Missions flown, aircraft and crew availability or even skill levels achieved are all much better measures of success in SAR.
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Indeed! I agree with you 100%. The "2751" milestone is so important for us because we are the "751" Sq. It was a "unique" number to celebrate. 
Best regards,
Best regards,
