Everyday practice for rescue operations – what makes the difference at Air Zermatt
Rescue missions are just one part of day-to-day business at Air Zermatt, while transport and passenger flights allow pilots to train in challenging conditions on a daily basis. Every hour of flight time brings experience, and these hours of experience are invaluable to those who need help in an emergency.
Yesterday, seven hours spent flying timber out of the forest; today, rescuing an injured climber from a rock face; tomorrow, transporting materials up into the mountains. For the pilots at Air Zermatt, this variety is part of their everyday life. And it comes with the crucial advantage that every flight hour adds to their experience. Every landing enhances their feel for the helicopter. And every rotation demands precision and concentration.
Ever since Air Zermatt was founded in 1968, helping people in distress has been the company’s key goal. Back then, it could take hours or even days for help to arrive at the site of an accident in the mountains. But this all changed once helicopters came into use.
Today, rescue missions account for only a fraction of activities at Air Zermatt. Other flights are commercial in nature – sightseeing and transport of goods or passengers. This might sound like two completely different worlds, but they’re both closely connected.
"Like an elite sport."
Transport flight today, rescue mission tomorrow
Underload flights demand the utmost in concentration. Whether flying timber from an inaccessible area of forest or setting down material with absolute precision in the mountains, teamwork between the pilot, task specialist, and ground crew must be flawless. Air Zermatt flies around 40,000 underload flights every year. This means 40,000 approaches, positionings, pickups, or drop-offs. Every rotation calls for calm precision and an intimate sense of the helicopter’s every move. And these exact skills are also crucial when it comes to rescue operations.
Landing in a whiteout
Tourist flights present another opportunity for valuable training. In heliskiing, for example, there’s no airfield for landing, just alpine terrain – on snow and at high altitudes. The pilot has to assess the terrain, wind, snow, and lighting conditions, and guide the helicopter to a safe and accurate landing. In diffuse light or during a whiteout, contours and reference points can be all but invisible. Every landing like this provides additional experience. Experience that might well prove vital during the next rescue mission.
Like an elite sport
Flying rescue missions can be compared with an elite sport. Someone who only trains twice a month won’t perform nearly as well in a competition as someone who trains several hours a day, several times a week.
The same goes for flying helicopters. What matters is not just the number of rescue missions, but how often the pilot gets the chance to fly in all kinds of conditions in general. An emergency isn’t the time for training – it’s the time for putting all the training and experience into practice.
Internalizing the terrain
Every hour of flight time also helps pilots get to know the region more and more. Regular flying means knowing the valleys, ridges, and any distinctive features and obstacles by heart. Power lines and other critical locations also become part of the ‘internal map’. This knowledge can be especially valuable at night. Flying experience isn’t just about the number of hours logged, but also about the thousands of observations and decisions made in the cockpit.
In the end, what matters is the person who needs help
Rescue flights are the embodiment of Air Zermatt’s most visible promise: We will be there.
And to fulfill this promise, we need pilots who spend a lot of time in the air, have complete mastery of their machine, and know the terrain like the back of their hand.
Transporting timber doesn’t save lives. Setting down tourists isn’t a rescue mission. Taking materials to the high mountains is no substitute for medical training. But every single flight hour builds experience. And the next time the alarm is sounded, this is exactly the experience that can make all the difference when someone needs help in the mountains.
