Missing dog rescued from 200ft mountain ledge during a winter helicopter training exercise

Winchmen Kate Willoughby and Mark Stevens out on training
just before the dog was found.
Today whilst out on essential training, our Inverness Coastguard helicopter crew were presented with an ideal opportunity to test their winter flying skills.


A little dog, who had been missing for 48 hours in the terrible weather conditions of Storm Gareth, was spotted on a narrow ledge with a 200ft vertical drop below by the Coastguard helicopter crew.


The Inverness helicopter crew – Captain Simon Hammock, Co-pilot Roger Sherriff, Winch Operator Rob Glendinning and Winchman Mark Stevens, were undertaking some essential winter training with another Winchman Kate Willoughby visiting from Humberside Coastguard helicopter base at Stag Rocks in the Cairngorms. 


To put their winter skills to the test, the two Winchmen were dropped off at a nearby bothy to undertake essential medical training in the snow. 


Winchman Kate Willoughby cuddles up to Ben
inside the Coastguard helicopter.
The remaining helicopter crew flew off to simulate a refuel and as they circled 1000ft up Loch Avon in the Cairngorms, a nearby section of cloud cleared and they happened to spot the dog perched precariously on the ledge.


The helicopter crew noted the position, went back to collect the two training winchmen and returned to the stranded dog. The weather had luckily presented them an ideal window of opportunity to use the rest of their training time to rescue the dog! 

Little 'Ben' who is a Cavachon (mix of King Charles cavalier spaniel and bichon frise)  was terrified and cold, so it was flown to the nearby Glenmore Lodge who then rushed it to the Strathspey Vets. We have since heard that the dog is doing well and has been happily reunited with its owner.

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua...
Read more

PRESTWICK SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICE LAUNCH MARKED IN CEREMONY

Image
- Prestwick search and rescue helicopter base set to go live in January - The launch of the Prestwick civilian UK search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service was marked today (Thursday 17 December 2015) in a ceremony held at the new Coastguard SAR base at Prestwick Airport. Bristow Helicopters Ltd is operating the search and rescue helicopter service for the UK on behalf of HM Coastguard. The UK limited company was awarded the ten-year UK SAR contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013, representing a £1.9bn investment by the UK Government in the UK’s search and rescue helicopter service. By 2017 the service will be delivered from ten bases in all, strategically located close to areas of high SAR incident rates. The Prestwick base will begin SAR operations when crews begin receiving taskings from the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) in January 2016. Bristow crews are delivering the UK SAR helicopter service on behalf of HM Coastguard with state-of-the-a...
Read more

22 September 1914: Remembering HM Coastguard’s greatest loss

Image
  As the nation remembers members of the armed forces lost during military service, HM Coastguard laments the tragic loss of more than 1,000 sailors on 22 September 1914. When we think of the Great War, we think of tremendous battles fought in far-flung foreign lands; Passchendaele, The Somme and Gallipoli being frequently brought to bear in the public consciousness more than a century later.  However, a devastating naval attack closer to home was to lay bare the significant threat posed by Germany's state-of-the-art underwater war machines. Over the course of a dark and fateful day in September 1914, more than 1,400 were to lose their lives aboard three vessels defending the North Sea. Among those lost were a substantial number of coastguards, drawn into military service at the start of war with Germany. The tragedy was to be the greatest loss of personnel in the coastguard service’s history.  Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany A threat to Naval supremacy At the turn of the 20...
Read more