WHITEHORSE, YT – The Royal Canadian Air Force is back in Whitehorse this week for some more Search and Rescue Training.
Search and Rescue Crews from the 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron based out of Comox, BC, have been conducting rescue drills in the mountain ranges around Whitehorse and Haines Junction in collaboration with the Civilian Air Search and Rescue Association, who are themselves being trained up on how to coordinate search aircraft as their designated spotters.
The 442 had graced the skies over Whitehorse earlier this summer as well, with rescue crews from the unit practicing low altitude parachute operations with a RCAF CC-130H Hercules fixed wing.
Captain Brian Aubin was involved in the Search and Rescue Training this past July, and explains that the Air Force conducts these drills to take crews out of their comfort zones and ensure they’re always ready to operate in environments where they may be called into action.
“So we’re used to flying out of Comox, BC, on Vancouver Island, but that comes with complacencies, if we just constantly use the same aerodromes in the same training areas over and over again. So what we do is we regularly try to get out and do training in other locations so that a we can extend our reach and figure out what works and what services are available to us, and so that we can better prepare us for when we do have a mission up north, here in the Yukon and know exactly what to expect, so that we’re not reinventing everything on the fly.” – Captain Brian Aubin, Royal Canadian Airforce
The exact training itinerary for this training session has not been made public, but a Public Affairs Officer with the 19 Wing Comox has confirmed operations will take place in many of the same areas as last time, but with hunting season in full swing, training locations will be chosen to limit impacts any potential impacts to hunters and wildlife.
Possible training areas include:
• Joe Mountain;
• Cap Mountain;
• Mount Byng;
• Mount Lorne;
• Mount Lansdowne;
• Mount Archibald;
• Mount Martha Black;
• Mount Granger;
• Double Mountain;
• Ibex Mountain; and
• Mount Arkell.
July’s training exorcise was delayed by a day due to a fuel pump that needed to be sourced and replaced prior to the start of operations. This time around, crews and planners from the 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron had packed extra parts just in case, and had engaged Joint Task Force – North to assist with community outreach to minimize impacts on Yukon communities.
