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Rega 6: Operational base in sunny Ticino
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Base in Locarno -- Zoom
The Rega base in Italian-speaking Switzerland lies in the middle of the Magadino plain, in the heart of the canton of Ticino. It was founded in 1980 and encompasses a highly challenging operational area.
Originally, the base comprised a rented hangar, an Alouette III helicopter and two pilots. However, already in 1982, the crew moved into its own building, with a separate hangar and a conference and training room. In 1995, the base took delivery of an Agusta A 109 K2 twin-engine rescue helicopter.
In the meantime, approximately 500 missions are performed by this base each year.
Good knowledge of the area
The greater part of Italian-speaking Switzerland extends over rough terrain – mountains, steep slopes, deep, narrow valleys –, all of which pose particular difficulties even for normal flight operations, let alone air-rescues. As a result, a thorough knowledge of the numerous valleys, gorges, rock faces, alps and expanses of water is of vital importance.
Mainly missions in the mountains
The majority of the missions carried out by Rega’s Ticino base involve accidents on ski pistes, as well as rescues, frequently using the rescue hoist, in the mountains and on lakes and watercourses. The number of operations after traffic and occupational accidents is continually on the increase. The operational area of the helicopter base, which is situated in the municipality of Gordola, also encompasses the Italian-speaking Misox region in Graubünden, through to the San Bernadino and the Calanca Valley. Cross-border missions into neighbouring Italy are also not unusual.
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2005 Rega
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