Back in December I started working with the Snohomish County Helicopter Team to provide some promotional video/photos for their huge fundraiser push this year (fed. funding was cut last year and they need $150,000 each year to provide fuel and maintenance for the helicopter.) and learned their workhorse, a UH-1H Huey plus 701 called SnoHawk10, came from there. This airframe received over $1 million in upgrades and overhaul from NW Helicopters in, I believe, 2011. She's actually a Vietnam vet as well, (her hangarmate is a "Silent One" also from Vietnam!!) and last Wednesday I had a first-hand account of their work.
A typical mission consists of two pilots, a crew chief operating the hoist and in charge of safety, a rescue technician, and a flight paramedic. The pilots are actually deputies, and the rescuers are volunteers. They conduct 80+ missions a year including! mountain rescue, recovery, evacuation, and firefighting among three major counties. Their mountain rescues prove crucial, as one such case had the patient on the ground in an ambulance within 2-hours from the time a friend called for help. It was a long 2-hours, but was estimated to be at least 8 if attempted by ground. And that included a broken neck, broken ribs, punctured lung and shattered ankle. His biggest frustration one year later? How he hasn't been able to run as fast as he did before the accident.
image by
fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Crew chief keeping a watchful eye on the situation as he brings up a rescuer.
image by
fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
The pilots bring SnoHawk10 back down to reset for another training run.
image by
fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Best way to get this shot? Laying flat on my back!
image by
fight2flyphoto, on Flickr
Got pretty dark on the way home, but soon I'll have a full walk around video showing all the upgrades she received, including the glass cockpit.
They enjoyed my work so far and would like my friend and I to continue coming along on training flights through summer. It's been an absolutely mind-blowing experiences.