Night flight training with Air Zermatt: a duty to practice and perfect
It’s dark in the Upper Valais. The sky is cloudless, with a touch of winter chill in the air. All is still. Until, that is, a helicopter turbine starts to whistle. The crew is ready for this year’s night flight training.
Winch operations are among the most demanding of all the rescue maneuvers. And at night, the conditions make the mission far more complex. The lack of daylight, the demanding alpine terrain and changeable weather conditions mean that situations like these are a huge challenge. This is precisely why night flight training isn’t just a compulsory exercise at Air Zermatt, but a key component of rescue safety – allowing the crew to perfect procedures, boost confidence and train under realistic conditions. This training is usually held in November and December.
Off into the night
Seated in the helicopter are the pilot, an emergency doctor, a flight paramedic and a rescue specialist. A flight instructor is also on board, observing, evaluating and commenting on every detail. The helicopter takes off, and the training begins.
The rescue helicopter heads for the mountains. For the crew, Zermatt recedes into the distance with every meter of altitude, lost in the black of the night. Anyone in Zermatt looking out of their window can see just a beam of light moving slowly over the cliffs. The sonorous drumming of the rotors can be heard.
For the crew, this darkness has a different meaning – maximum vigilance. Night flights leave no room for distraction. Every glance, every move, every decision counts.
“Ready,” the flight paramedic announces. The pilot nods. He’s wearing his night vision goggles, with their magic ability to turn the night in the cockpit into a visible world. Night vision goggles amplify the available light, and turn night into day for the pilot. He sees a scene set to black and white.
Searchlights over the nighttime mountains
Tonight, the Mattertal is the first location for a training scenario. The helicopter makes a loop, and the crew adjusts the searchlight. A gleaming ray of light cuts through the darkness, dancing over scree fields and rocky ledges. The crew scans the area. All are fully focused – with clear words, precise movements, and blind trust. The flight instructor takes notes. Outside, the light beam glides over the mountainside.
The exercise with the winch
Now for the second part – a nighttime winch rescue. A maneuver that challenges even the more experienced crews. The helicopter hovers over a rock step, where the terrain falls away sharply. A rescue specialist climbs onto the skid and is lowered down with the winch, which is 90 meters long. The pilot holds the aircraft steady in the air while the flight paramedic operates the winch. The flight instructor scrutinizes every procedure, without saying a word. Everyone knows their role. Tonight is for training. But the level of concentration is the same as in a real emergency. Everyone knows that teamwork like this can make the difference between success and failure in an emergency.
The stillness after the flight
After around half an hour, the helicopter turns around and heads back to Zermatt. The mountains recede into the darkness, the night is peaceful and quiet. The helicopter touches down gently at the base – the training is over for now. The flight instructor gets out, gives the pilot a quick pat on the shoulder and says: “Good job.” The crew disperse, and the debriefing begins. No fanfare, no fuss. Just routine
Why these nights are so important
For the local residents, the night-time helicopter noise can mean a brief disruption of their sleep. But for Air Zermatt, it’s absolutely vital. Night flight training is required by law, and between 15 and 20 sessions are held each year. These training flights take off from both Raron and Zermatt. Experience shows that simulating scenarios like the one described above can be crucial when it comes to a real emergency. So, nighttime winch exercises are more than just training. They are a promise to the population – that even when it’s dark and the conditions are challenging, Air Zermatt is ready to respond.
