Trapped, lost in the bush, having a medical emergency in a remote part of the country or injured in a motor vehicle accident; the whirr of the BayTrust Rotorua Rescue Helicopter has been a sense of relief for many.
But for base manager Ben Fry, that sound has been acall to action, a way to give back to his community and now the service is ending and he is saying farewell, he wants to thank the people of Rotorua for their support.
He has been with the rescue helicopter for four years tomorrow.
Ben Fry has been the base manager at the Rotorua Rescue Helicopter for the last four years. Photo / Stephen Parker
"October 28, 2014, that was my very first day here," he said.
He moved his wife and three small children to Rotorua for a "change of lifestyle".
He said they "obviously ended up loving it here" and moving forward he would still be living in the Rotorua district, but commuting to work out of the city.
Like a lot of the Rotorua community, he is "gutted" to see the hangar doors close and the helicopter make its final journey out of the city next Thursday.
"It's certainly not what we wanted and I just hope for the Rotorua community they get the same if not a better service to replace what we've got."
Rotorua Rescue Helicopter base manager Ben Fry says farewell and thank you for the support. Photo / Stephen Parker
The rescue helicopter has been on call 24/7, 365 days a year since it first launched in December 1992.
Run largely on a team of volunteers, the service has been on more than 4000 flights in the almost 26 years it has been running.
"There is a lot of waiting for the pager to go off, but that could happen at any time, of course, it could go off at 10am in the morning or 10pm at night," Fry said.
"No two days are the same, they are always different."
The Rotorua Rescue Helicopter helps at a motor vehicle accident. Photo / File
The service responds to any request for help, from car accidents and people in remote areas needing medical help, to lost trampers in the bush and water rescues with the Coastguard.
"It's a hugely varied amount of work."
Fry said the best part about the job was the "reward of being able to help people".
"You see that sigh of relief when you turn up and that's probably the most rewarding part about it."
The BayTrust Rescue Helicopter Duck Race fundraiser at Hamurana Springs. Photo / File
He has had the opportunity to see Rotorua from a different perspective to most people.
"There are days when you go out flying and it is a crystal clear day, all the lakes are beautifully flat and it's nice blue skies or you're flying over the forest and all those nice landmarks and features, you can't beat that.
"You have those moments where you're flying into the sunset in a really nice evening, or early in the morning, and you really appreciate what you're trying to do."
Former BayTrust Rescue Helicopter pilots Art Kowalski, left, and Ron Taylor with current pilot Barry Vincent. Photo / File
He said on nearly every trip the patient who has been picked up will say the same thing.
"They just can't believe the beauty of our area."
He said when Thursday morning comes and his time serving on the Rotorua-based rescue helicopter is over, the thing he will miss most is the interaction with the community.
"One big thing I will miss is having that hands-on approach to the community and just being able to help.
"It's just a small something that I can give back."
The Bay Trust Rescue Helicopter in the air over Rotorua. Photo / File
He said everyone always got in behind the helicopter, helped with fundraising drives and were willing to help him when he asked.
"It's a really nice, tight-knit community and it's very rewarding in that sense.
"The main thing I want to do is just thank the community on behalf of myself and also the past pilots that have worked here for the past 20-odd years.
"The community has always been here to support us."
A front page story in The Daily Post when the rescue helicopter was launched in 1992. Photo / File
He also wanted to thank everyone else that had been part of the rescue helicopter journey in Rotorua.
"The paramedics who fly with us on every journey we go to, the flight nurses up at the hospital, our relationships with police, LandSar, Coastguard, the list goes on and on with a lot of valuable partners we have had."
"They are volunteers, none of them have been paid for their services here and the base has always been operated 24/7, 365 days a year.
"The time commitment that goes into the rescue helicopter is quite significant, so a huge thanks to the wives and families of those people as well."
A police dog display at the Bay Trust Rescue Helicopter open day in 2015. Photo / File
Fry will remain employed by the Philips Search and Rescue Trust and is taking a temporary role working at the Gisborne helicopter.
His fellow pilot Barry Vincent will also remain employed in a training role.
"Obviously this is not the result the community was wanting, but they can be very proud that what they've supported and contributed to has undoubtedly changed people's lives for the better and saved some lives as well," Vincent said.
