After the exercise is complete, four of us attach to a short-haul line suspended beneath the helicopter to be slung off the mountain to the LZ. Landing is tricky but completed successfully using a combination of the signals from our group swaying beneath the helicopter and the ELO’s communications with the pilot.
With the flying completed, we stand in a circle to debrief. Each person provides an honest assessment of the exercise: what worked well and what could work better in the future. The expedited learning provided by these briefings is essential to sharpen rescue skills and to learn from each other.
Teamwork, safety, and a collaboration of skills between experts in their respective fields; that is my overall impression of AMS and its partners. This team will surely grow from strength to strength.