Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter: Visit rescue chopper open day for Central Hawke’s Bay

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter attending a crash north of Napier, where a car had gone down a bank. Photo / Paul Taylor

Central Hawke’s Bay people are invited to join the crew from the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter at its first Central Hawke’s Bay open day.

Many members of the Central Hawke’s Bay Community understand just how vital the service is to those who live rurally or are a distance from a hospital, with dozens of missions each year to uplift patients from the region.

In a life and death situation, every minute counts, and helicopter rescue – especially in rural or remote locations – is often the patient’s only chance for survival.

During 2023 the service completed more than 40 missions to Central Hawke’s Bay, providing lifesaving support in many such situations.

The current Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter is a BK117 B2 (Bolkov Kawasaki 117) twin-engine rescue helicopter. It has all-round versatility, speed and reliability for rescue helicopter work, and this type of helicopter is used extensively in rescue helicopter operations around the world.

The BK117 is fully equipped with search and rescue technology, including GPS, thermal imaging and night vision goggles, which enable the chopper and its crew to assist with search and rescue missions.

Thanks to the generosity of people throughout Hawke’s Bay, including donors, sponsors, and supporters in CHB, the rescue helicopter service remains free, and available 24/7.

The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter is a charitable trust, which completes over 400 lifesaving missions a year, helping those who need urgent medical care and transportation. Lowe Corporation has been the principal sponsor of the trust since it became a dedicated service in 1992.

The service costs about $3 million each year to operate.

On Saturday January 27 the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter, along with other emergency services, will be at Russell Park in Waipukurau from 10am to 2pm for its first CHB open day.

For a gold coin donation, people can explore the big yellow helicopter, meet the crew, and have a family-friendly day out. There will also be face painting, a bouncy castle, sausage sizzle, icecreams and more.

To find out more including how to support Hawke’s Bay’s Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter, go to hbrescuehelicopter. org.nz