Sky Watch at the Balmoral Show 2015

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Our thanks once again to the organisers of the Balmoral Show for our superb stand and to our new and experienced volunteers, who kindly gave up their free time and work time to meet the public.

It was  a very busy three days with hundreds of leaflets distributed and numerous kind donations. Lots of people stopped to enquire about our work and discover their temperature on our thermal camera. Our new schools programme proved popular with visiting schools too.

We would also like to thank Johnston Gilpin, Lisburn for the use of their Gator, a superb off road cart which allowed us to transport our heavy equipment around the site for UAV flights and quick redeployment of staff.

Skywatch ‘Feature’ at Emergency Services Show

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ACC Sean White of the Cleveland PoliceSkywatch was fortunate enough to be situated close to the seminar area when ACC Sean White of the Cleveland Police was due to give his talk on the use of UAVs at this years’ Emergency Services Show.

As a related prop, Skywatch was offered the opportunity to position their fixed wing drone beside the presentation screen which provided some excellent branding for the charity and even some media coverage, as seen in the October edition of Police Aviation News.

Summer Prize Winners

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Skywatch Collecting TinOver the summer we ran a number of competitions at events and festivals with a range of prizes from toy gliders to a flight in our Foxbat.

Below is a list of our prize winners:

The Lost Sheep prizes were won by
J Potter of Ballyclare and J. Erskine.

The Firesize Quiz was won by Majorie Craig of Donemana.

The Yellow Box Challenge for 2014 was won by Sandra Patterson and Collete Jones, both of Kilmore Ladies’ Group in Lurgan. The winners receive a flight in a light aircraft.

If you are interested in the Yellow Box Challenge for a group or organisation you belong to, please contact us.

On Exercise with the North West Mountain Rescue Team

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On Sunday 31st August, SkyWatch NI undertook a days training with the North West Mountain Rescue Team (NWMRT) on Slieveanorra in County Antrim.

Beginning at 10am under blue skies and light winds we spent the morning discussing a range of protocols for search, communication and interoperability followed by equipment familiarisation.

This led to a number of agreements on procedure, particularly in relation to search, scene management and communication procedures, ensuring a faster, more coordinated approach during real incidents. It also gave both teams an opportunity to meet each other and understand each others capabilities and limitations.

Following a quick lunch on the mountainside we began a search within the designated area based on a mock missing persons’ profile. While the NWMRT utilised their strength in numbers and profile based search techniques, SkyWatch undertook wide area and inaccessible area searches using the quadcopter.

As the afternoon progressed the NWMRT found the first of the two missing people and provided a team to extract them by stretcher back to their awaiting vehicles. The second missing person was then spotted by the quadcopter operator within a sunken gulley, in the boggy and challenging ground cover. While the visibility remained excellent throughout the day, wind sheer on the lee side of the mountain pushed both the quadcopter and operator to their limit with the unit flying over 60º horizontally into the wind to maintain stability while still recording an excellent image.

With the second person identified, the NWMRT then provided personnel for the medical assistance and recovery of the individual.

Overall the day highlighted a number of operating procedures which benefited from refinement, some clear decisions on protocol and the ease and professionalism of working with the NWMRT who facilitated the days’ training.

It also highlighted the immediate need for a SkyWatch command vehicle for the radio control officer, battery charging stations and video analysis. Currently this is provided through the donation of volunteers’ own vehicles and equipment.

You can find out more about the North West Mountain Rescue Team on their website.

Eye in the Sky Over Balmoral Show

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Aerostat flying over Balmoral Show Car Park

The SkyWatch A300 Aerostat flying over the Balmoral Show Car Park

Firmly tethered, the SkyWatch A300 Aerostat floated happily in the blue skies over Balmoral Show 2014 while tens of thousands of visitors enjoyed three days of agricultural displays and shopping.

Combined with over-flights by SkyWatch pilots in the Foxbat fixed wing aircraft, the aerostat, donated by local company Search Systems, provided a live feed of traffic updates around the site, making it easier for organisers and ground staff to manage queues, blockages and gates. Feeding video directly back to the control room or at longer range to ground crew with a radio relay, the aerial feedback trial proved both successful for the Balmoral Show and SkyWatch NI.

With flights covering a wide area in the morning during rush hour and the aerostat providing local imagery of the car parking and inroads, SkyWatch was able to provide invaluable feedback throughout the three day show.

Aerostat flying in the evening over Balmoral Show

Flying in the evening as families made their way home.

The balloon also proved popular with families and children, attracting a lot of attention and debate regarding it’s purpose. Most discussion centred around having a camera or being a weather balloon.

Other ideas put forward were having someone inside the balloon, which would be a lot of fun, but a balloon of this size (3.6 cubic metres) is only capable of lifting 1.5kgs.

An unexpected but very welcome use for the balloon also arose on the last day when people were finding it difficult to locate their cars. By photographing the car park and zooming into the images we could locate the occasional, distinctly coloured vehicle. Ultimately that job still remained most effective with the folks from EventSec on the ground who provided site security and parking management.

Come and See us at the Balmoral Show

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SkyWatch will be providing aerial imagery to the Balmoral Show for 2014, assisting with traffic management and missing people.

Search Systems A300 Aerostat

Search Systems A300 Aerostat

Using a combination of fixed wing flights by our pilots and the continuous deployment of the new A300 Aerostat, kindly donated by Search Systems, we will be providing live aerial images throughout the show. With a secure, streaming live feed of video or thermal imagery, the organisers and assisting agencies will be able to maintain a permanent overview of the show grounds and surrounding access. The SkyWatch tent will also be there so come along and find out how you can join us to take part in future operations and assist with fund raising.

For more details and to book your tickets, go to http://www.balmoralshow.co.uk/

A Great Reception at Moira Methodist Church

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Moira Methodist ChurchWe would like to thank the members of Moira Methodist Church and their friends for a very generous collection and warm reception on an icy Saturday morning.

We were treated to a great breakfast followed by a cheque presentation with over 50 gentlemen attending the men’s breakfast. Paul Trimble then provided an insight into the work of Sky Watch in Northern Ireland before a short demonstration of our tracked vehicle and an opportunity to view the quad-copter and one of our drones with accompanying mobile ground station.

You can find out more about the work of Moira Methodist Church on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/moira.methodist

 

Children’s Colouring Competition

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Colouring in competitionDid you pick up a colouring competition leaflet at the Portrush Airshow or another event we recently attended?

Send us your entries and you could win a SkyWatch Goodie Bag (large glider, pen and keyring)!

Entries are just £1 each. All proceeds go to Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol (NI) to assist with local searches.

Don’t forget to send your entries in by the 20th September!

Download your entry form and full details here: Childrens_Competition_2013