The crew on the West Coast are often dealing with the most challenging of conditions and an average mission length is longer due to the vast distances. We are blessed to now have Westpac NZ as our associate sponsor; this new level of support underpins the service on the West Coast.ย The Critical Care Paramedics on the coast are the highest qualified medical resource available for the community. In areas like the West Coast, when there is an emergency, the Westpac Rescue Helicopter is the only option and can be the difference between life and death.
We extend a sincere thank you to ROA Mining for their significant support of the service over 13 years. Their generous commitment ensured that the West Coast community had access to this vital emergency response capability. ROA Mining will continue to support their community through their sponsorship of the New Zealand Flying Doctor Service. This sister service to the rescue helicopters is a regular visitor to the West Coast transporting patients between hospitals to the higher acuity care they need.
Left to right โ Hernan, Peet, Joshua, Tom, Dazza
As well as fundraising to support missions on the West Coast we are working on a number of exciting projects to improve patient care and save more lives. Very soon, the existing BK-117 will be replaced with a state-of-the-art H145 helicopter that will have more advanced avionics. This will facilitate Instrument Flight Rules (IFR), allowing the crew to fly in lower cloud conditions, enabling the rescue helicopter to respond in more compromised weather conditions โ a real game changer for the West Coast. This will be accompanied by equipment upgrades and advanced training, so the crew are fully prepared for all missions.
Mission support
Can you contribute to the cost of a mission or fund a lifesaving mission?
You can support a complete mission
1 mission- $5,000
2 missions – $10,000
4 missions – $20,000.
Or give a monthly gift – $20, $3o, $50, or your choice
Special Projects Development Fund
The West Coast community is currently served by a twin engine BK117-B2 rescue helicopter, but the H145 is on its way soon.
| MAKE/MODEL | BK-117 – B2 |
| ENGINE | Twin Allied Signal, LTS101-850B2 |
| SHAFT HORSEPOWER | 850 HP each engine |
| CREW | 1 pilot, 2 paramedics |
| MAX SPEED | 150 knots / 280kph |
| CRUISE SPEED | 120 knots / 222kph |
| RANGE | 540 kilometres |
| SERVICE | 1 HELICOPTER AND CREW ON CALL 24/7 |
| MISSIONS | 300+ AVERAGE PER YEAR |
Our community and corporate sponsors are greatly valued. Without their support our service would not be able to operate. The Canterbury West Coast Rescue Helicopter Trust gratefully acknowledges the following companies whose generous support contributes to the efficient operation of a viable FREE Rescue Helicopter Service in our region.
Can you believe we are only 6 days out from Christmas?
Hopefully, you have your lists made and checked at least twice!
Our list is coming on really well and we are excited to let you know that ๐๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฎ๐น๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฑ๐ ๐ณ๐ฌ% ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ผ๐๐ฟ $๐ญ๐ฌ๐ฌ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ this year, for specialist pilot training for the exceptional new helicopters.
Can you help us with that final push?
Whether you can donate, share this post, or simply leave a comment, every bit of support helps us spread the word and get closer to the finish line.
Check the link in our bio.
Thank you for being part of our journey!
The crew love it when patients come to visit - especially when they bring morning tea and the cuteness of four-year-old Cooper!
Cooper knows that when he was a baby, his mum got sick and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter rescued her. But that wasn`t the first time mum Emma was rescued.
As well as being a patient (twice), Emma has worked with the rescue helicopter service through her role as a volunteer firefighter for the Hinds Volunteer Fire Brigade.
โ๐ช๐ฒโ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ฑ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฝ ๐น๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ต๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ ๐น๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐. ๐โ๐๐ฒ ๐น๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฝ๐ถ๐น๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ฎ ๐ป๐ผ๐ป-๐ฝ๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ถ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐.
โ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ต๐ฒ๐น๐ถ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ฝ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ถ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐ฒ-๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฝ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด.โ
Read Emma`s story and hear more about her visit to the GCH Aviation Air Rescue Base here: https://www.airrescue.co.nz/stories/a-visit-to-the-rescue-service-that-saved-mum-twice/
Or see the Patient Stories link in our Linktree.
Helicopters 2 and 3 have landed!
Fresh from @rega_offiziell in Switzerland, they`re now being assembled by the @gchaviation Engineers.
Some of the team recently travelled to Rega`s facilities to learn everything about the aircraft and medical setups.
Huge thanks to the Rega team for sharing their expertise and supporting us every step of the way.
Partnerships like these make it all possible!
Last week we had the immense pleasure of welcoming our newest helicopter, IGA, to the fleet. Over 180 people joined us for the event to celebrate this amazing achievement. Thank you all for your support.
Read more about the event https://www.airrescue.co.nz/stories/our-new-rescue-helicopter-takes-to-the-skies/
@westpacnz @burlingtonvillage @gchaviation
