Helicopter Mountain Rescue In Snowdonia

When a female climber slipped and fell while scrambling on the cliffs of Craig Yr Ysfa below Carnedd Llewelyn in Snowdonia, the rescuers who were first on the scene recognized that her leg injuries required immediate treatment. Fortunately for her, help was at hand in the form of RAF 22 Squadron's Sea King helicopter, and she was in hospital in Bangor within the hour.

Snowdonia in north Wales contains some of the best mountain walking and climbing areas in the UK. Besides Snowdon itself, there are several other peaks above the 3000 ft mark, and these are surrounded by steep crags and sheer cliff faces which are often the site of accidents, either as a result of fallen climbers, or walkers who have slipped from a path. When accidents occur, members of the Ogwen Valley mountain Rescue team are called out, and if they require assistance to move the casualty quickly to hospital, a Sea King Mark 3 SAR (Search and Rescue) helicopter from RAF Valley on the Isle of Anglesey can be on the scene within 20 minutes.

The Sea Kings are operated by C Flight 22 Squadron (C Flt), one of the busiest SAR flights in the UK, carrying out around 300 rescue missions every year, and since the Flight formed at Valley in 1956, over 6000 rescue missions have been flown. Sea Kings have been operated by 22 Squadron since 1997, replacing the Wessex which took over from the Westland Whirlwind in 1976, and provide increased range and load capacity, plus enhanced night and bad weather performance. Helicopters are on standby 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and can be airborne within 15 minutes. Although their main function is to perform search and rescue missions for RAF aircrew, the bulk of their activity is centered on civilian rescues, often assisting mountain rescue teams across the UK.

The Sea King is manufactured by AgustaWestland in the UK, and is powered by two Rolls-Royce H1400 1T turboshaft engines, providing 2,700shp. It has accommodation for a 4-man crew, and up to 19 passengers, or nine stretchers and two medical officers. The Mark 3A is equipped with advanced all-weather radar, navigation and Global Positioning Systems, and when hovering can be controlled by the winch operator, who can position the rescue harness directly above the casualty. The winch operator also controls the hydraulic hoist, rated at 600lb. The Sea King has a range of 280 nautical miles, with a maximum speed of 143 mph at sea level, and helicopters from 22 Squadron, who are based at RAF St Mawgan in Cornwall, carry out rescue operations all around the united Kingdom, as well as mountain rescues in Snowdonia.

The Sea Kings are a familiar sight to hill walkers and climbers, and its a comforting thought to anyone who ventures into the mountains that should the worst happen, the big yellow helicopter will quickly be on the scene.

Simon Kirwan is a photographer with a passion for the outdoors. He spends as much time as possible visiting the mountains and wild places of Britain and the world. After visiting Nepal and photographing the Himalayas in 1999, Simon was named 'Observer outdoor Photographer of the Year 2000'. He has since travelled overland across East africa visiting Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe; in addition, he has photographed the mountain ranges of europe including the spanish Pyrenees, the French and Italian Alps, and the Polish Tatras.

Despite his love of travel and the excitement of visiting new destinations, Simon is equally happy to wander the hills and mountains of Britain's countryside, especially Snowdonia, the Peak District and the lake District where he can indulge his love of mountain walking and scrambling as well as photographing the ever-changing landscape.

www.aerial-photographer.co.uk Aerial Photography by Simon Kirwan
http://www.the-lightbox.com travel Photography by Simon Kirwan

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Vacation In France

If you are determined to go on a vacation to france, it's not just thinking all about paris, the Sunny French Riviera, of hotels, the entertaining worldly atmosphere, of wine and beautiful women. Take a gasp look of its history since the Medieval times or even deeper back into its colorful history from the 15th Century when the French crown was seized from the English hands by restorative group movement lead by peasant girl Joan of Arc guided by "Visions," was able to lead the French Army who seized the power in the city orleans and brought back the French crown to Charles VII, culminated by a coronation in the city of Reims in 1429.

The adventurous and colorful history of france catered by bloody 100 years war down to the French Revolutions affect a diversified nation with various regional traits and customs and a very unique combination of snobbish or rude attitude, proud but deep at heart friendly people, and environment. You'll have to fathom into knowing French culture to understand why each region have their respective divert customs from the rest.

How the French people value Cuisine is unsurpassed in the world. It is characterized in the way the handle food recipes in the finest hotels, restaurants and dining venues with utmost end-ambiances for global visitors. france is No. 1 in wine exportation in the world, and theirs are the finest of the original authentic grape base.

Having the best wine distilleries combine with the best in entertainments, places to go where and here, as anyone may suit to seek from their books of travels and stay-in occupancies for a week, month, or over the summer cruise over the sunny coastlines along the French Riviera; extending a little across to the isles of Monaco, and along these coastlines.

KEY TO A SUCCESSFUL VACATION IN france

*To get through total experience of france, their champagnes, dining, entertainments, the Alps and etc., prepare a Visitor's Passport. Seek direct access to maps and Directory. If getting thru online, download no spy ware. Missing birth Certificates is glitz on passports and other personal documents. So be guided by this particular.

If you intend to seek for a lengthy vacation, get a "long-Stay Visa," applicable to those who extend up to 90 days or who wish to study in france. Read up to a variety of Regional culture before you penetrate the various places. It is more interesting than just thinking of paris. There are more places and lots to treasure in your vacation memory, afterwards.

*Major airport in paris is Roissy-Charles de Gaule, others are in major cities like Lyons and Strasbourg, taking around seven hours to get to French grounds from the East coast. A planned itinerary to far cities like Strasbourg and Carcassonne, it would be a 1-hour speed economical airplane thicket that provides ease and convenience, trips plunge-beat to the 8-hour trip in an overnight train-trip, the price of which is similarly almost the same in price.

*Knowing their year-end calendar on weather, holidays, month's activity-highlights are very important to go with your itinerary, to avoid waste of time, money, effort and risk. (1) January to February is the start and peak of the ski season. This is also when the semi-annual government regulated sales begins, (2) March shows a swarm of tourists as the final end of ski season is at hand. Easter candies and all chocolates are starting to be displayed as the springtime is ensuing the following month, (3)weather is warm in May and June, July is bustling with the advent of Bastille Day. Plea markets and plenty of produce displayed in markets, (4) September, winds down prices as the smell of autumn is coming and the tourist taking advantage of lowering prices for the end of the warm weather, (5) october to December, preparation for the Christmas season, tourists are going home but still these are mesmerizing moments to enjoy a very colorful vacation from the colorful autumn-changing atmosphere to the colorful end of December.

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Chakrabhedan(circle-interception) - a New Kind of Yogic Exercise

There are many types of Yogasanas or yogic exercises taught by several Masters on Yoga. Yogic exercises should be simple so that practitioners of all ages can practise them. The aim of yogic exercises is to supply sufficient warmness or heat to the body so that germs causing disease are killed; deposits in veins and arteries are removed and mind gets concentrated. As gold is purified by burning, so heat generated from yoga removes or kills germs or foreign matter from the body. Further in yogic exercise mind remains within the body and thereby gets concentrated.

My yoga Master Late Munishvar Shiv kumar Shastri has developed an unique yogic exercise called Chakrabhedan(circle-interception). This is very simple but most effective for making the body disease-free and concentrating mind to a great extent. The body has six major chakras or circles. These are - Muladhar Chakra at anus, Swadhisthan Chakra at genital, Manipur Chakra at naval, Anahat Chakra at mid-chest, Vishudha chakra at throat and Ajna chakra in between eyebrows. These are vital chakras for the body in order to survive.

Besides these six chakras, there are minor chakras both in the legs and hands. There chakras are simply joints in the legs and hands. So in all there are eighteen chakras in the body. In Chakrabhedan body parts or limbs are moved along fixed directions on the plane of each chakra. While moving limbs mind is fixed on a particular chakra. So not only there is an exercise of the body but there is exercise of mind also. This Chakrabhedan exercise cannot be described in words. Learners may learn it directly from a Master. Once learners learn it they shall find it most effective.

Author Premansu Chand preaches and practices yoga. He resides at Bhubaneswar, India. To know more about spiritualism and yoga readers may go through his book 'Quest for truth: the spiritual and yogic way' which may be collected from bn.com or amazon.com. premansu_chand@rediffmail.com

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