SAR og UAV

Search & Rescue Teams UAS Exercises in New Zealand

 

Search and Rescue Teams from around the top of New Zealand’s South Island met in the Molesworth Station at the weekend for a LandSAR exercise. The teams were using unmanned aircraft systems as part of their live scenarios.Tasman regional SAR committee chairman John King said UAS had been raised as an option by the family of German tourist Christian Prehn, missing in the Nelson Lakes National Park.The 19-year-old was last seen on February 25 and search teams spent several days searching for him but he has not been found.“The SAR members have never used UAS at the altitude required for the search in Nelson Lakes. City rules restrict flight to 400 metres, so we need to practise to see if it would be a viable option to use in searches,” King said.A team from Auckland which had UAS experience was on site during the exercise, he said.The SAR teams were based beside the Clarence River at the Hanmer end of Molesworth Station for the exercise.