LIFE-BOATMEN all over the country at one time or another have read about, or even participated in, a rescue carried out by an R.A.F. helicopter.

From time to time, too, helicopters make the headlines, not for some dramatic rescue, but because military requirements have meant the departure from an area of a helicopter detachment of long standing.

One of Britain's helicopter squadrons (the other is No. 202 with headquarters at R.A.F.

Leconfield, Yorkshire), is No. 22 at R.A.F. St.

Mawgan, Cornwall. The squadron, which was formed as far back as 1915 and in World War II won a Victoria Cross', has its headquarters at St.

Mawgan. Here this almost self-contained unit looks after its helicopters and controls three detachments - at R.A.F. Chivenor, North Devon, Valley, Anglesey, and Thorney Island, Hampshire.

In July the Journal spent a day with 22 Squadron at St. Mawgan. The Westland Whirlwind Mk. 10, which forms their equipment, carries a crew of three - pilot, navigator/winch operator and winchman. It has a maximum air speed of 95 knots with an operating radius of 90 nautical miles in still air. It can rescue up to amaximum of four survivors at maximum range.

However, its lifting capability is governed by the fuel load.

The record of 22 Squadron since 1960 is interesting and in a way follows the changing pattern of R.N.L.I, calls. Over the past ten years its helicopters have flown 4,698 sorties and joined in 2,521 rescues. Last year they flew 374 sorties for 177 rescues.The badges on this page and the facing page show (above), No. 22 Squadron's with the motto 'Valiant and Brave' and (right), the R.A.F. Air Sea Rescue badge designed by 15-year-old Christopher Foan, of Woolton, Liverpool, which won him a prize of £100.

The badge, in red, white and blue, depicts an airman lifting a survivor to safety—a black silhouette set inside a life-belt. The badge is displayed on vehicles used by helicopter crews.

by courtesy of Ministry of Defence Broken down the records for 1970 show calls as follows: aircraft ten sorties for four rescues; swimmers 46 for 11; small craft 115 for 42; marooned persons and cliff rescues 71 for 75 and so on.

Thus it is clear that the prime R.A.F. role -saving their own men from aircraft — has been overshadowed by calls of a civilian nature. It is this work, gladly undertaken by the R.A.F. over the years as good practice, which has led a large section of the public to assume - wrongly - that the military helicopter is part and parcel of the present day civilian rescue service as at present constituted.

In the course of rny visit to St. Mawgan, which is an important Strike Command base with anti-submarine commitments under the command of Group-Captain P. M. Harvey, I was taken on a routine flight in Whirlwind XP361 up to Chivenor. We flew over land on the outward flight and altered height severaltimes to fit into aircraft movements - some at low level - near the borders of Cornwall and Devon. Fortunately visibility was excellent but, nevertheless, I found difficulty in picking up and holding the darting Hawker Hunters.

Chivenor - an active base - was reached and the landing made by 22 Squadron's detachmentwhich, as elsewhere, is accommodated in surroundings that help a lot to ease the inevitable boredom of waiting for a call. The history of 22 Squadron is well documented on the walls, and, here again, it helps to breed that most important feeling of pride in belonging to a unit with traditions.

Squadron-Leader John Weaver, the C.O. of 22 Squadron, who is a Cranwell-trained pilot with experience of sea and jungle work in helicopters, including a spell in Borneo, returned to St. Mawgan along part of the rocky coast. AtAppledore, North Devon, we hovered for a short while near the moored life-boat; then continued by way of Hartland Point, Bude, Tintagel Head (King Arthur's Castle), Boscastle and Padstow where (as described on page 176), there is a 48ft. Bin. Oakley life-boat.

The weather was fine and the sea tropically clear. As we flew round coves and looked into caves Squadron-Leader Weaver kept a look-out for the stray holidaymaker in trouble. 'There's always a chance', he said, 'that we shall come on someone needing help.' To my comment that the particular piece of coast must reek with smugglers' yarns, my pilot said: 'Long ago, when helicopters were very young, it is said that fishermen never objected if lobster pots were placed in otherwise unfished and awkward places!' Soon we were back in the St. Mawgan landing pattern, the air full of controllers' crackle. Then we were over the base with its white Hawker Siddeley Nimrods - the world's first pure jet maritime reconnaissance aircraft. However, in the foreseeable future the R.A.F. does not intend to use the Nimrod for SAR work and, once St.

Mawgan has been completely re-equipped, long-range searches will fall entirely to the newly-developed Avro Shackleton squadron at R.A.F. Honington, Suffolk.

An R.A.F. officer unconnected with search and rescue told me quite recently: 'I have the feeling that there is a growing public awareness and interest in the rescue services in the United Kingdom, and certain dissatisfaction with the present organisation. It would not surprise me to see some fairly startling changes in the future.' Whatever the outcome may be the R.N.L.I.

can rest assured that the men of the helicopters - they are a highly professional force - won't be bothered about who gets to the scene first. All they are concerned about is that someone gets there as quickly as possible. After all, didn't a helicopter from Chivenor (p. 182), in a final pass over the surfline, find the body of a missing man off Croyde, North Devon, on 6th July when all the other rescue services had searched in vain?—C.R.E.• The normal rescue is achieved by means of a standard NATO strop made of flax webbing cushioned by rubber.

This strop is connected to the winch hook by two D rings. The winch cable has a useable length of 60ft. and a maximum load limit of 400 Ib.

• The winchman wears a rescue harness similar to a bosun's chair which gives him complete freedom ofmanouvre when suspended on the hook. The winchman is equipped with a grabbit hook which consists of a hook on the end of a short chain enabling him to make initial contact with a survivor by hooking on to the hooks of a life jacket. The other end of the grabbit hook is attached to the main winch hook by a D ring.

184CO-OPERATION Readers of THE LIFE-BOAT will remember the illustrated feature in the January, 1971, number covering the night exercise undertaken by the Buckie, Banffshire, life-boat and No. 120 Squadron, R.A.F. Kinloss.

Flight-Lieutenant C. A. Pomeroy, of 120 Squadron, writes: On 14th June the experience gained during this exercise was put to good use when a crew from the same squadron was scrambled to assist the Buckie life-boat in the search for the yacht'Laperouse'in gravedanger of sinking 20 miles WNW of Kinnairds Head. The Nimrod's rapid search capability was used to sweep out the offshore area while the 'Laura Moncur' searched closer to the Banffshire coastline. The disabled vessel was, in fact, found by the life-boat and towed to safety.

However, communications and cooperation between the 120 Squadron aircraft and the 'Laura Moncur' had stood the test of being used in anger—practice had made perfect!.