Latest News
Night Vision Goggles Investigation by CAA - September 3rd 2007
Recent publicity has highlighted the possibility of illegal importation of military standard Night Vision Equipment into New Zealand, for use on rescue helicopters.
Both Garden City Helicopters Ltd and the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust would like to reassure supporters that all of our Night Vision equipment has been obtained legitimately through authorised and certified channels and that the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) investigation does not relate to any of our equipment.
Our equipment was manufactured by ITT Industries, the world's leading manufacturer of night vision imaging systems and supplied by Aviation Specialties Unlimited Inc. ASU are sole authorised dealers for ITT and recognised as global leaders in supply, installation, maintenance and training of Night Vision equipment. The company advised on specialist lighting configurations for our helicopter cockpits and were involved in the extensive Night Vision training programmes undertaken by our rescue crews.
Currently, our four sets of Night Vision Goggles are operational through the Canterbury and West Coast region and are proving invaluable for rescue operations in night-time or low light conditions.
Search and Rescue Training Exercise Brings Emergency Teams Together - June 16th 2007
The 2007 Regional Search and Rescue Exercise was held in Lyttelton Harbour, Pegasus Bay and Banks Peninsular on 16th June, this year. SAREX brought South Island rescue teams together from Canterbury, Otago, Southland and the West Coast in a multi-agency emergency response exercise aimed at pushing search and rescue operations beyond comfort zones in a controlled environment.
The exercise involved nine regional Coastguard operations, Sumner Lifeboat, New Zealand Police, New Zealand Fire Service, St John, Civil Defence, Salvation Army and the Westpac Rescue Helicopter which was successfully involved in two training scenarios, assisting the Coastguard with the rescue of a surfer and a kayaker.
Open Day Draws Large Crowds - April 2007
Thousands of Cantabrians and West Coasters turned out to get up close with rescue services at Open Days held at both of our Operations Bases in Christchurch and Greymouth. Visitors enjoyed the chance to take a first hand look at services such as Air Rescue, NZ Fire Service, St Johns, Search and Rescue, NZ Police, NZ Army and many more. Along with static displays from services, there were many "hands on" experiences such as the chance to cut up a car with the "Jaws of Life".
The Open Days kick off the annual nation-wide Westpac Chopper Appeal to be held throughout May of this year. The appeal also involves a street collection and other fundraising activities to be held throughout the country. The Chopper Appeal is all about raising awareness as well as much needed funds, says Mark Graham, Westpac’s National Sponsorship Manager. “The appeal is all about getting everyone out there playing their part to support the thousands of life-saving missions the helicopters undertake every year in New Zealand.”
CLICK HERE to see photos of the Open Day
Night Vision Equipment Greatly Enhances Rescue Capability - December 2006
Two sets of long-awaited, high resolution Night Vision Goggles are now part of our rescue operations, giving pilots and crews increased capability to carry out operations at night or in low light conditions. The equipment was recently purchased with the aid of a Lotteries Grant and Rescue Crews have recently completed extensive training, with the help of a United States expert in Night Vision operations.
The equipment is set to dramatically change the scope of operations, particularly in the area of Search and Rescue.
Satellite Technology Keeps Track of Westpac Rescue Helicopter - July 2006
Garden City Helicopters, operators of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter have over the past 10 weeks been trialing an innovative tracking system on the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. TracPlus, created by Dunedin company Daestra New Zealand, uses an integrated GPS and satellite telemetry mounted on the helicopter to send information on the aircrafts location and status to a data centre in the South Island, allowing Garden City Helicopters through a broadband internet connection to monitor progress of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. Due to the nature of rescue work in Canterbury, a lot of the work takes place in remote areas with little or no communications coverage. The TracPlus system has proven to be very reliable in these remote areas with the system enhancing safety for the pilot and crew of that helicopter by giving Garden City Helicopters a real time picture of where the helicopter is for flight following purposes. We hope to install more TracPlus systems in our other aircraft in the near future.
Click Here to keep track of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter >>
Helicopter Upgrade - July 2006
Our AS350B Squirrel has gone through an upgrade over the last 3 weeks to an AS350 BA.
The upgrade, which increases the MAUW (maximum all up weight) by150 kgs to 2100kgs cost in excess of $200,000 and reinforces Garden City Helicopters commitment in having best possible technology available to its clients.
Prime Minister Visits Snow Bound Communities - 23 June 2006
The Prime Minister Helen Clark and the Minister of Agriculture Jim Anderton recently travelled by helicopter to visit snow bound communities in Mid and South Canterbury. Garden City Helicopters operations manager Aaron Regan flew the group to various places including Ashburton, Sherwood, Maungati and on to Queenstown to return to Wellington. The visits were well received by local communities especially those still without power.
Click Here for News Photos >>
Early Snow Fall - 16 June 2006
Canterbury has experienced one of it's heviest and most widespread snowfalls for many years. Snow fell on Monday 12 June covering much of the South Island with snow settling all the way to sea level. Many rural communities were isolated with power and communication lines cut. Conditions are improving but there are still many households without power.
Garden City Helicopters has been especially busy during this time transporting power and communication staff and equipment into remote locations to repair services. Also, there has been a large media interest requiring transportation of news crews and satellite equipment to remote snow-bound locations for live-to-air evening news coverage.
Rescue services continued unchanged during this period.
Click Here for News Photos >>
Helicopter Underwater Escape Training - March 2006
Thanks to a joint-venture safety training programme recently undertaken, helicopter rescue crews from around the South Island have had the chance to practice underwater escape and survival techniques. Read More >>
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