Whittle gives praise to helicopter heroes
MSP takes trip to Coastguard’s Search and Rescue base
Brian Whittle MSP was given a tour of HM Coastguard’s Search and Rescue ( SAR) Helicopter base at Prestwick.
Chief Pilot, Captain Craig Sweeney, was the man who showed the South of Scotland MSP around the sophisticated facility.
Captain Sweeney is one of many team members who transferred from HMS Gannet when the UK’s search and rescue set- up was changed.
This saw the mix of military and civilian services revised to a single UK- wide civilian contract, awarded to Bristow Helicopters Ltd.
The £ 7.1million building at Prestwick is one of four Coastguard SAR bases in Scotland, and is home to two Leonardo AW189 helicopters, each costing around £ 20 million.
The building is also home to on- duty flight crews, who are mostly ex- military and work 24- hour ‘ on call’ shifts.
Prestwick has responded to more than 800 call- outs, since it began operating in January 2016, It was also the busiest of the 10 UK bases for the year ending March 2018.
The distinctive AW189 helicopters are fitted with stateofthe- art technology that makes them much more capable than the ageing Sea Kings they replaced.
Innovations include a high definition camera system with night vision and thermal imaging, an ultra- bright floodlight, and a radar system that aids in low level and low visibility flying.
All of these systems can be controlled from the cockpit, where traditional instruments have been replaced by computer screens which allow the pilots to view everything from engine diagnostics to real time GPS maps.
During the visit, Tory MSP Brian took a seat in the cockpit before Captain Sweeney took him through the range of systems onboard.
The adventurous MSP even managed to get off the ground — even if it was only half a metre - thanks to the helicopter’s winch system.
Whittle said: “Like most people in this part of Ayrshire, I’m used to the familiar sight of the HM Coastguard Search and Rescue helicopter overhead, so it was a privilege to see one on the ground and learn more about them.
“The new helicopters are a real technological leap forward from the Sea Kings that HMS Gannet used. But it’s the people who operate and maintain these machines who really make the difference.”