The exercise is carried out as it may be necessary for the crew to transfer a casualty to the helicopter in an emergency situation to get them to hospital quicker and more comfortably.
The exercise involved the crew performing 2 types of lift. The first lift meant the lifeboat crew had to deploy a drogue (a parachute that opens under the water and turns the boat into the sea, sometimes called a sea anchor) and holding the lifeboat still as the Sea King hovered overhead and transferred one of its crew on to the lifeboat.
The second method involved driving the lifeboat under the helicopter at a set
speed and holding it steady under the winch whilst members of the lifeboat crew
were lifted off.
The exercise lasted 40 minutes with each member of the crew getting a turn of driving under the helicopter and being lifted. The event was recorded by a camera attached to one of the crew's helmets.
This will probably be the last helicopter exercise on the current lifeboat, the "Bessie Worthington" as the new lifeboat is due to arrive in Southport in 6 weeks. Some of the crew are travelling next weekend to VT Halmatic Ltd. in Plymouth to see the craft as it enters the final stages of the build.