Helicopter exercise for Durban crew

On Saturday 24th of March a combined training exercise between Station 5, Durban and the SAAF’s 15 Squadron was conducted seaward of the old Bluff Whaling Station.The object of the exercise was for the flight crews to get experience when hoisting people out of the water and introducing new Rescue Swimmers and boat Coxswain’s to the complexities of helicopter operations.Two helicopters, an Oryx and an Augusta A109 operated in turns above Durban’s 7m RIB “Meghan II” alternating between single and double hoists. Meanwhile each Coxswain had to maintain pinpoint accuracy by referencing and maintaining the boats position as each hoist was executed.No less than 25 hoists were conducted and both NSRI and SAAF crews agreed the training was a resounding success.