Crews Rescue Pair Trapped In River, Ill Woman Aboard Cruise Ship

Aero-News would like to send its kudos out to crews onboard two different helicopters who lent a helping hand this weekend, in a way that only helicopters can.

It's not often TV reporters get to be the good guys these days... but that was the case in Sumner, WA Sunday. Seattle TV station KING-5's helicopter was up in the air over Sumner on an unrelated story, when the pilot and journalists on board spotted two people stranded on rocks and a small sandbar in the Stuck River.

Seems a 65-year old woman lost control of her raft, and was grounded on the rocks. A 17-year old boy had tried to help her by swinging on a rope tied to a tree branch nearby... only to land on the sandbar.

The KING-5 helo was able to rescue both people, said City of Sumner spokeswoman Carmen Palmer. Neither person was hurt.

Our hats also go off to the crew of a Canadian Forces Cormorant helicopter (file photo of type, above) for the rescue of a seriously ill American woman aboard the cruise ship Mercury.

The vessel -- which was headed from Seattle to Juneau, AK -- was near Vancouver Island over the weekend when the 37-year old woman started suffering severe abdominal pains. The ship's doctor called for help... and the Canadian Cormorant responded.

Two rescue technicians were lowered in a basket to the ship's deck. They picked up the woman, her husband and the two rescuers were then winched back up and flown to Comox. At last word, the woman was in stable condition.

FMI: www.forces.gc.ca/site/home_e.asp