Special equipment     Air rescue sack   In the event that the helicopter is not able to land at the scene of the accident, the injured person is rescued by means of the rescue winch. If the patient can only be transported lying down, he is laid in an air rescue sack, hauled up to the helicopter and flown to the nearest possible landing site, where he is transferred into the helicopter.     Horizontal net – small and indispensable   The horizontal net is used above all to rescue patients with back injuries. It can be easily pulled under the patient’s body and is so small that, when folded up, it can be encircled by two hands.     Long-line rescue system   The long-line system is used to rescue injured mountain-climbers from vertical or overhanging rock faces. An up to 200-metre long rope is suspended from the helicopter, which enables the rescuer to reach the injured person even in high, steep, vertical rock faces. If the injured person is located under an overhanging rock, the rescuer can pull himself towards the rock by means of a telescopic pole.     Rega pilots can also see in the dark   Approximately one in five of Rega’s helicopter missions is carried out after darkness has fallen. At night, overhead cables and clouds are very difficult to make out and constitute a permanent threat for the pilots. As Rega pilots also fly according to Visual Flight Rules at night, they use night-vision goggles. These NVGs intensify the existing light by a factor of up to 25,000. This produces a green-coloured image, in which roads, clouds and landscape forms are clearly visible.     CL 604 - entry via a ramp   In order to be able to gently load patients lying on a stretcher trolley into and out of the air-ambulances, Rega has constructed a three-piece ramp made from synthetic fibres, which is permanently installed in the jets.     More (119 kB)