Helicopter Mountain Rescue In Snowdonia

When a female climber slipped and fell while scrambling on the cliffs of Craig Yr Ysfa below Carnedd Llewelyn in Snowdonia, the rescuers who were first on the scene recognized that her leg injuries required immediate treatment. Fortunately for her, help was at hand in the form of RAF 22 Squadron's Sea King helicopter, and she was in hospital in Bangor within the hour.

Snowdonia in north Wales contains some of the best mountain walking and climbing areas in the UK. Besides Snowdon itself, there are several other peaks above the 3000 ft mark, and these are surrounded by steep crags and sheer cliff faces which are often the site of accidents, either as a result of fallen climbers, or walkers who have slipped from a path. When accidents occur, members of the Ogwen Valley mountain Rescue team are called out, and if they require assistance to move the casualty quickly to hospital, a Sea King Mark 3 SAR (Search and Rescue) helicopter from RAF Valley on the Isle of Anglesey can be on the scene within 20 minutes.

The Sea Kings are operated by C Flight 22 Squadron (C Flt), one of the busiest SAR flights in the UK, carrying out around 300 rescue missions every year, and since the Flight formed at Valley in 1956, over 6000 rescue missions have been flown. Sea Kings have been operated by 22 Squadron since 1997, replacing the Wessex which took over from the Westland Whirlwind in 1976, and provide increased range and load capacity, plus enhanced night and bad weather performance. Helicopters are on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and can be airborne within 15 minutes. Although their main function is to perform search and rescue missions for RAF aircrew, the bulk of their activity is centered on civilian rescues, often assisting mountain rescue teams across the UK.

The Sea King is manufactured by AgustaWestland in the UK, and is powered by two Rolls-Royce H1400 1T turboshaft engines, providing 2,700shp. It has accommodation for a 4-man crew, and up to 19 passengers, or nine stretchers and two medical officers. The Mark 3A is equipped with advanced all-weather radar, navigation and Global Positioning Systems, and when hovering can be controlled by the winch operator, who can position the rescue harness directly above the casualty. The winch operator also controls the hydraulic hoist, rated at 600lb. The Sea King has a range of 280 nautical miles, with a maximum speed of 143 mph at sea level, and helicopters from 22 Squadron, who are based at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, carry out rescue operations all around the united Kingdom, as well as mountain rescues in Snowdonia.

The Sea Kings are a familiar sight to hill walkers and climbers, and its a comforting thought to anyone who ventures into the mountains that should the worst happen, the big yellow helicopter will quickly be on the scene.

Simon Kirwan is a photographer with a passion for the outdoors. He spends as much time as possible visiting the mountains and wild places of Britain and the world. After visiting Nepal and photographing the Himalayas in 1999, Simon was named 'Observer outdoor Photographer of the Year 2000'. He has since travelled overland across East africa visiting Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe; in addition, he has photographed the mountain ranges of europe including the spanish Pyrenees, the French and Italian Alps, and the Polish Tatras.

Despite his love of travel and the excitement of visiting new destinations, Simon is equally happy to wander the hills and mountains of Britain's countryside, especially Snowdonia, the Peak District and the lake District where he can indulge his love of mountain walking and scrambling as well as photographing the ever-changing landscape.

www.aerial-photographer.co.uk Aerial Photography by Simon Kirwan
http://www.the-lightbox.com travel Photography by Simon Kirwan

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Walkie Talkies

In this age of the mobile phone, walkie talkies, or two-way radios, seem like an anachronism. However, many people who grew up before the 1990s may recall that no respectable private eye or detective story was complete without a walkie talkie being used while following a suspect or chasing a criminal!

You may not be the sort who likes to follow suspects or chase criminals as part of your daily activities, but you could still use a walkie talkie in your daily life. If you enjoy outdoor activities, love to go motorcycling, work in a school, college, pub or club or look after a little baby at home, you would find a walkie talkie a very useful gadget. You may need a walkie talkie system if your job requires you to move around from one point to another within a three kilometre range. The benefit over mobile phones is that they are license free and do not have any associated call charges.

For instance, you can use a regular baby monitor if you are at home downstairs and your baby is asleep upstairs, but what happens if you need to visit a neighbour? Some walkie talkies have a wider range than regular baby monitors and also include a baby monitor mode. You can leave one radio in the babys room and take the other wherever you gowhen the baby wakes up or begins to cry, you will know at once. The Cobra MT725 Value Pack is ideal for this.

Workers in pubs or clubs, or teachers and staff members in schools and colleges would find walkie talkies very effective and useful when communicating with colleagues. In both cases, workers and staff members may have to respond to emergencies, and may not be near a telephone. Walkie talkies can be clipped onto belts, and come with an earpiece-microphone combination to enable discreet communication. All you need to do to send a message is to press the Push to Talk button on the handset.

Motorcyclists can use a walkie talkie system that fits into their motorcycle helmets, along with the Push to Talk button that is mounted on the motorcycle handlebar or the recommended voice activation via a MICVOX. If you plan a motorcycle holiday with a group of friends, this system should enable you to stay in touch, over a distance of a mile, in all kinds of weather. You will also find a walkie talkie very useful on a skiing or mountaineering holidayyou may not be able to use mobile phones in the mountains or abroad as the roaming charges may be more than you want to pay!

If you are on the lookout for a suitable walkie talkie, all you need to do is take a virtual walk down our aisles at BB-Shopping.com. We stock Cobra and Entel Euro-Wave walkie talkies that you can use at home and outdoors. You can also purchase walkie talkie accessories and download manuals from our site.

Ian Williams

Walkie Talkies

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