 RAF Sea Kings were involved in many rescue operations |
Scotland's search and rescue nerve centre at RAF Kinloss in Moray has had its busiest year for a decade, it has been revealed. The Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) launched aircraft 2,391 times in 2006 and rescued about 1,700 people throughout Britain.
It is thought the increasing number of people with mobile phones could be a reason for the rise.
The Nevis cable car accident in July was among the rescues tackled.
Public help
It saw 150 people winched to safety.
Controllers at the Kinloss centre assign aircraft from bases across the country to help those on land and at sea.
Teams were also involved in the rescue of a glider pilot who crashed in the Cairngorms near Braemar.
He was rescued after being spotted by a Tornado jet - hours after going missing.
RAF Kinloss was also involved in the search for the fishing boat Meridian which sank in the North Sea with the loss of four lives in October.
Although the ARCC was primarily formed to deal with military search and rescue, the majority of the time it helps non-military personnel.
Squadron leader Barrie Neilson said: "The use of mobile phones may be a factor because people have the ability to contact the emergency services much more quickly."
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