Congratulations are in order for the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters (Greater Sydney Region) they have just recently had both of their Kawasaki BK117-B2 rotorcraft successfully modified for Night Vision Goggle compatibility. Which means shortly these guys will be able to fly on goggles providing them with significantly improved situational awareness during night operations, that equates to happy pilots 😉 which is very important!
The real congrats however, goes to the engineers 😉 I mean really, the world would just stop with out 'em 😉
Seriously though, the mods to the two helicopters coordinated by the engineers at SLSA (Greater Sydney) have placed these two machines at the forefront of premium NVG compatible lighting..
So the next time you see the distinct outline of the BK117-B2 beating a bead line along the coast, spare a thought for the hard work by engineers that goes into keeping these machines in the air and consequently keeping the rescue service running smoothly.
+Gerard Blacklock I remember watching one of these doing a search and rescue operation near Bondi a few years ago. It's easy to take the service for granted but when you see how skilled the pilots are, (and over time how reliable the helicopters are) it's a good reminder of how lucky we are to have them.
My son is both a Life flight Pilot for the state police and a Black Hawk Pilot with the Army National Guard here in the US. I know all too well just how crucial night vision is in a rescue situation. These engineers are to be highly commended!
Thanks +Chris Sutton and your right it is very easy just to take it for granted, but when you see how well trained these guys and how much work they put in it does remind you that without them many rescues would not happen or would happen with not such good outcomes.
thanks +Susan LaDuke
🙂
I got alot of respect for pilots, even if they cause me lots of grief sometimes 🙂 Kudos to your son.
That's cool +Gerard Blacklock​​, those guys are awesome! Yeah it takes dedicated and skilled pilots and a great maintenance team! Hats off to the engineers for the essential mods! ☺
+Tom Testone
thanks mate!
+Gerard Blacklock You're welcome mate! 🙂
+Gerard Blacklock how cool is this photo?? :))
+Kitten KaboodleInc pretty cool huh, i love taking shots of night vision compatible cockpits
+Gerard Blacklock seriously awesome. Like everything is coated in lime cordial hehe 🙂
mmm lime cordial…its been years..
+Gerard Blacklock hehe me too 😉