Young Hobart students were given the opportunity to get up close and personal with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter during a visit on Wednesday.
Children from Waimea Heights Primary School met the frontline crew members who rescue and transport Tasmanians every single day.
The visit at Queens Domain followed a landing at Dover Primary School last month as part of a series of school visits for children and young people to learn more about the service.
Charles Wendell Smith, the Director of Critical Care and Retrieval at Ambulace Tasmania, said the helicopter performs around 15,000 hours of flying time each year.
“It’s a really busy service and particularly coming into summer we typically see quite a seasonal spike with recreational activities increasing.”
“It’s really important that we start early to have those conversations with our children and our primary schools to really make sure that everyone’s safe.”
The visit gave the children a chance to ask questions about the helicopter and the work the crew do, including how fast it flies and what the various buttons and gadgets are for.
It was an extra special visit for some of the kids, getting to see their dads on the job.
17-year veteran Rescue Helicopter pilot Andy Lee, whose son Oscar was among those in the crowd, said being able to fly-in and visit school children is a “career highlight”.
“Anything involved with kids and helping kids is about as special as it can get,” he said.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter is also expected to land in Glenorchy next week, along with schools in the north and north west of the state next year.
