In this episode of The Real ResQ Podcast, host Jason Quinn sits down with Mathew Neri, Royal Canadian Air Force search and rescue pilot and as of this recording, the Commanding Officer of 103 Search and Rescue Squadron in Gander, Newfoundland.
Neri takes us inside the world of Canadian search and rescue, where missions can stretch hundreds of miles offshore or deep into the remote Arctic. Flying the massive CH-149 Cormorant, his crews routinely battle fog, icing, high winds, limited fuel options, and some of the most isolated terrain on the planet.
He shares the story of his first major mission as an aircraft commander—a helicopter crash hundreds of miles north in the Canadian Arctic—and the uncertainty of being a relatively new commander suddenly responsible for taking a crew into an environment he had never operated in before.
Neri also walks through a challenging long-range medevac from a cargo ship off the Labrador coast. With no visible horizon and the ship rolling beneath the helicopter, the crew had to rethink their plan while one of the SARTechs nearly slid across the wet deck toward the edge during the hoist. They ultimately completed the rescue and got the patient safely to the hospital.
Along the way, Neri explains how Canadian SAR crews operate, the intense training behind the SARTech community, Arctic survival training in temperatures reaching extreme lows, and the enormous amount of planning and decision-making required when the nearest fuel or rescue resource may be hours away.
The conversation is filled with great rescue stories, humor, lessons learned, and an important reminder from Neri: sometimes the most important decision a rescue crew can make is knowing when to say no.
From the North Atlantic to the Canadian Arctic, this episode offers an incredible look inside one of the most unique search and rescue environments in the world.
Enjoy!
Matt Neri YouTube: www.youtube.com/@mattfrom103
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