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| 505th Search and Rescue Group; news and updates | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:02 am (1,010 Views) | |
| Flipzi | Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:02 am Post #1 |
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R.A.T.S.
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![]() “If a man is in need of rescue, an airplane can come in and throw flowers on him, and that's just about all. But a helicopter could come in and save his life.” - Igor Sikorsky 505th Search and Rescue Group The mission of the 505th Search and Rescue Group is to conduct air search and rescue operations in support of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and civilian agency operations. Its specific functions include: Conducting search and rescue operations, air evacuations and airdrop of supplies and equipment; conducting pararescue training; performing field and organizational maintenance on aircraft and pararescue equipment; and performing other functions as directed by higher headquarters. The 505th Search and Rescue Group traces its lineage to the Philippine Government's response to the provisions of the convention on International Civil Aviation (ICAO), whereby the Philippines committed itself to provide such measures of assistance to all aircraft in distress within the Manila Flight Information Region (FIR). In line with this commitment, the 505th Search and Rescue Squadron was activated on 12 December 1956 to be the lead rescue unit under the management, control and supervision of the then 205th Composite Wing. The Squadron's early accomplishments included hovering helicopter at the rooftop of burning Ayala Building in 1971, the massive rescue operations and distribution of much-needed relief goods to tidal wave-stricken areas in Roxas City, Capiz and Panay Island in 1984, and the rescue of 27 Vietnamese refugees who were trapped in a logging vessel in Cabra Island in June 1987. A series of natural and man-made disasters struck the Philippines in the 1990's, including Super Typhoons, the eruption of Mount Pinatubo, a major earthquake in 1991 that hit Baguio, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and other parts of Central Luzon, and frequent sea mishaps. All these events led to the decision to expand the capabilities of the 505th Search and Rescue Squadron. Other accomplishments in the 1990s included heli-lifting trapped persons from the rooftop of the burning Legaspi Towers in 1991, Search and Rescue of missing mountaineers on Mount Makulot in 1992 and on Mount Halcon in 1994, and aerial search and underwater recovery operations surrounding the MV Viva Antipolo, which sank off Dalahikan Bay in Lucena City in 1995. On 15 February 1996 the unit was expanded to become the 505th Search and Rescue Group. The Group consisted of 3 operation squadrons, strategically deployed: the 5051st Search and Rescue Squadron in Luzon, along with the the 5052nd Search and Rescue Squadron at an advance post in Palawan, Visayas, and the 5053rd Search and Rescue Squadron in Mindanao. The unit also featured organic support elements, the 5054th Supply Squadron and the 5055th Maintenance Squadron. The activation of the Group also reinforced the Government's ecological preservation efforts through its occasional air support for patrolling the seas against poachers, illegal waste dumping, and oil spills. The 505th Search and Rescue Group also played an important part in safeguarding the Philippine Government's Billion-Dollar Malampaya Natural Gas Project. The unit also possessed a minor fire-fighting capability could be used to help combat forest fires. http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/philippines/505-srg.htm ![]() credit to photo owners & Timo Maceren 505th Search and Rescue Group (Angels)HQ, Col. Jesus A. Villamor AB, Pasay City, Metro Manila 5051st Search and Rescue SquadronHuey II, Bell 205, S-76, UH-1H, W-3A 5052nd Search and Rescue SquadronHuey II, Bell 205, S-76, UH-1H, W3-A 5053rd Search and Rescue SquadronHuey II, Bell 205, S-76, UH-1H, W3-A 5056th Search and Rescue SquadronHuey II, Bell 205, S-76, UH-1H, W3-A http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_Air_Force Edited by Flipzi, Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:25 pm.
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan Manila, Philippines getflipzi@yahoo.com http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!" " People don't care what we know until they know we care." | |
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| Flipzi | Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:05 am Post #2 |
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R.A.T.S.
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![]() At lowest point for AFP, ‘angels’ save the day RECTO MERCENETODAY Reporter Without fanfare or publicity stunts, a branch of the Armed Forces (AFP) has been silently going about its tasks with sterling performance, thus saving what little is left of the discipline and other values left in shambles by its wayward members. The 505th Search and Rescue Group and the 205th Tactical Helicopter Wing of the Air Force (PAF) have been responding to disasters and saving lives for years—and in the current disasters caused by a string of three typhoons, they remain a beacon of hope in an otherwise battered institution that is the military. While the AFP has to cope with charges of corruption and other acts of misdemeanor by its members, the 505th SARG remains above the fray and continues doing life-saving gestures in line with the SARG international motto: “That others may live.” Forget for the moment the headlines that blare the celebrated plunder cases against Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia; against the former chief of staff Gen. Lisandro Abadia; the shoplifting charges against 2nd Lt. Rolly Angeles Joaquin and the salacious homosexual acts attributed to Maj. Ferdinand Ramos. Think of the the 505th group, headed by Col. Ricardo Banayat and the 205th headed by Brig. Gen. Horatio Tolentino who remained untouched by all these venal acts. Recognizing the invaluable contributions of the choppers, Air Force Chief, Lt. Gen. Jose Reyes has seen to it that 35 helicopters of various types remain in operation. Since assuming office in July, he has refurbished 10 mothballed choppers and purchased 10 more from Singapore. Twenty more operable choppers in the flightline remain grounded for lack of funds, he said. “The PAF had yet to tally the number of survivors or victims of disasters airlifted this year but the number would be in the hundreds, including the tons of foodstuff, medicine and clothing that were airlifted not only by the helicopters but also the bigger C-130 ‘Hercules’,” Gen. Reyes said. During this whole year and the past years that the country has been visited by natural and made-made disasters, it is the PAF, with its arsenal of helicopters and paramedics, that has been the first to be alerted by local government units (LGU) or affected citizens. To maintain closeness to future disaster sites, the 505th SAR Group distributed its units not only in Manila but also in the alternate International Airports in Mactan, Davao, Laoag and in Puerto Princesa Airport in Palawan. The LGUs and citizens who have known of the agencies’ capabilities always call on the PAF or the 505th itself whenever they are in need of somebody to save. When a house was being eaten up by flames in Paranaque, it was the 505th that the owner had to call so that its chopper, equipped with a water bucket, could douse the fire that is out of reach of ground firemen because of the labyrinth of squatters surrounding the resident. When brushfire spread out over a wide area of Quezon Province at the height of the summer season, the same men and women of the 505th and the 205th put their lives on the line to prevent the fire from eating huge chunks of tropical forest. The water bucket-equipped chopper rushed to the scene and continued to douse the fire from the air, but while doing its job, the tricky mountain downdraft forced the chopper down and damaged it. The pilot and his crew survived, but the expensive helicopter was wrecked almost beyond repair. In the celebrated case of the sinking of the “Star Ferry” off Corrigidor about two years ago, or the sinking of another interisland ship that collided with an oil tanker between Marinduque and Mindoro, again it was the PAF choppers that scoured the seas, picking up survivors clinging to dear life from lifesavers and other flotsam and bringing them to dry land. Following the train disaster in Bicol, PAF choppers based in Camp Nakar, Lucena City, were among the first to arrive on the scene to airlift more than 50 victims and survivors, and sophisticated equipment of the 505th lifted the fallen coaches to extract those pinned to the ground. “It appears that the good deeds [of] the PAF helicopters have far outweighed the contributions of the jetfighters and warplanes to the citizens of this country,” according to Gen. Melchor Rosales, former undersecretary of the National Disaster Coordinating Center (NDCC) and now undersecretary of the Department of Interior and Local Government. In remote mountain areas harassed by bandits and insurgents with their unjust taxation and mulcting, the helicopters are called occasionally to drive them away and thus bring peace of mind to beleaguered communities, Reyes volunteered. It goes without saying that amid the average 30 typhoons that visit the country every year, one may expect the PAF whirlybirds to be on the scene, efficiently airlifting the injured, the sick, the poor, the faceless and neglected. Among other government agencies in uniform, it is the sight of the orange uniform of the 505th Rescue Squadron that elicits positive reactions from the people. Wherever they alight, especially in those remote areas that not even SUVs could reach, the people flock to them with glee, knowing that they bring good cheer and deliverance from safety. It is not surprising, therefore, if some of those who have been saved by the PAF would refer to the members of this institution as “Angels of Mercy.” The connotation has stuck so that the 505th officers from the top and down the ranks would be dubbed “Angel 1,” “Angel 2” and so on, according to PAF spokesman, Col. Resty Padilla. This week the “angels” have been kept busy by a succession of typhoons. Elements of the Army’s 202nd Infantry Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division stationed at Barangay Kapatala, Siniloan, Laguna, provided assistance to typhoon victims in the province of Quezon. Report reaching the Army Chief, Lt. Gen. Generoso S. Senga, showed that the troops of Charlie Company, 1st Infantry Battalion, were deployed to the towns of General Nakar, Infanta and Real, all in Quezon province. The troops, in coordination with the Army’s 564th Engineering Construction Battalion, conducted clearing and rescue operations at the Nagcarlan-Real road affected by landslides. They also set up a Public Assistance Center at Barangays Llavac and Maragondon in Real town, the areas severely devastated by the typhoon, to facilitate the conduct of relief operations by other government agencies. Meanwhile, a team from the 18th Special Forces Company, Special Operations Command (Socom) led by Army Cpl. Benito Fajardo conducted disaster relief among victims of flashfloods in Barangays Tatalon and Roxas in Quezon City and other barangays in Marikina City in the afternoon of November 30. Subsequently, in Central Luzon, more Army soldiers were deployed in different municipalities of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija and Aurora provinces in the wake of flashfloods caused by typhoon “Winnie.” Elements from the Army’s 7th Infantry Division and Socom rescued and evacuated several victims of flashfloods in these towns. ABS-CBNNEWS.Com http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?section=National&OID=64398 Edited by Flipzi, Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:15 am.
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan Manila, Philippines getflipzi@yahoo.com http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!" " People don't care what we know until they know we care." | |
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| Flipzi | Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:14 am Post #3 |
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R.A.T.S.
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Photos credit to photo owners ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]()
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan Manila, Philippines getflipzi@yahoo.com http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!" " People don't care what we know until they know we care." | |
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| Flipzi | Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:16 am Post #4 |
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R.A.T.S.
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PAF Exhibit at SM Mall of Asia June 12, 2014 - last day will be on June 13 More here http://w11.zetaboards.com/NDSFP/topic/10311937/ Facebook copy: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.416385818501699.1073741939.172035806270036&type=3&uploaded=82 505th SRG ![]() ![]() ![]() VIBRAPHONE ![]() ![]() This gadget is used to hear weak sounds coming from beneath the rubble or ground. Survivors trapped inside collapsed building or tunnels who are tapping to make a sound can be heard when this gadget is used. This can sense weak signals from 30 feet below. Edited by Flipzi, Fri Jun 13, 2014 11:01 pm.
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan Manila, Philippines getflipzi@yahoo.com http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!" " People don't care what we know until they know we care." | |
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| Flipzi | Fri Jun 13, 2014 3:19 am Post #5 |
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R.A.T.S.
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Philippine Air Force Exhibit at SM-Mall of Asia June 14, 2013 Photo Credits and Caption: Eman http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi/index.php?showtopic=423 ![]() gauging its patches, this one knows a lot! ![]() the Angels, the men from the 505th Search and Rescue Group ![]() the Search and Rescue equipments including their rubber boat |
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan Manila, Philippines getflipzi@yahoo.com http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!" " People don't care what we know until they know we care." | |
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| Flipzi | Sat Jun 14, 2014 12:26 pm Post #6 |
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R.A.T.S.
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505th SAR Historical Events After the recent and the worst air accident in the country which claimed the lives of 104 passengers of the ill-fated DC-9 of the Cebu Pacific Flight 387, members of the elite Air Force 505th Search and Rescue Group cannot help but sigh and whisper prayers of thanks that the Almighty once again guided them to accomplish a mission that bring relief if not total consolation to the families of the crash victims. A sense of fulfillment was indeed the only thing that relieves them of the pains and hardships of the search and rescue operations. But who are these rescuers? How do they feel? And what is 505th Search and Rescue Group? Since its activation in 1956 as a squadron under the PAF’s 205th Tactical Operations Wing till its expansion as a Group, the 505th Search and Rescue Group has been a unit of the Philippine Air Force which remained true to its commitment as savior of the Filipino people. With its motto: THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE", it has indeed accomplished so much that earned recognition and gratitude from our fellowmen. With 505th SRG, feeling safe has never been this easy. The year 1996 saw the expansion of 505th Search and Rescue Group into a major unit of the Air Force (with Col. Neon Ebuen as its first commander) tasked to conduct air search and rescue operations in support of the AFP and civilian agencies. On the forefront of its search and rescue operations are its three squadrons strategically deployed in Luzon - the 505Ist with an Advance post in Palawan, Visayas - 5052nd SRS and Mindanao - the 5053rd SRS. For the past 40 years, the men and women of 505th have faced tremendous odds to pluck every single life that that they could get from the clutches of danger and sure death. These `Angels’ have been whipped by gale force of winds, threatened by foaming seas, battered by blinding rain, stretched to the limits by rampaging lahar. But, still they were always there for everyone. Their exploits are legendary yet their faces are unknown to many, and oftentimes forgotten by those they have served and sometimes criticized by people who don’t understand their sacrifices. To the great many, however, their deeds were always remembered. Thousands of our fellowmen have heard the chugging sounds of helicopter blades, felt the tug of strong hands, and tasted a second chance of life but no one really knows what these rescuers feel. No one really knows their thoughts, yet one thing is certain, they risked their lives by the single creed "THAT OTHERS MAY LIVE" It was during the 90’s when the 505th was put into the limelight. The successive typhoons that ravaged the country kept it on its toes, conducting search and rescue missions, sometimes even during strong winds, which endangered the lives of the rescuers. This was complicated even more, when lahar began its deadly descent from the slope of Mt. Pinatubo that greatly affected the lives and properties of our brothers in Pampanga. Almost every newspaper headlines carried with it vivid pictures and stories of daring rescues conducted by 505th rescuers on that part of the country..S-76 Notable among the various rescue operations of 505th include rescue from a hot perch performed by a hovering helicopter at the rooftop of burning Ayala Building in 1971; rescue of 27 Vietnamese refugees who were entrapped in a logging vessel in Cabra Island in June 1987,; massive rescue operations and distribution of much-needed relief goods to tidal wave-stricken areas in Roxas City, Capiz and Panay Island in 1984; heli-lifting of unaccounted trapped persons on rooftop of burning Legaspi Towers in 1991; Search and Rescue of missing mountaineers in Mt. Makulot in 1992 and at Mt. Halcon in 1994; rescue and relief operation during a major earthquake that hit Baguio, Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija and other parts of Central Luzon; aerial search and underwater recovery operations to the passengers of MV Viva Antipolo ship that sank off Dalahikan Bay in Lucena City. The recent crash of the DC-9 Cebu Pacific plane which is considered one of the worst air accident in the country, once again put the "angels of mercy" on the go. Their abilities were once again put to the test with the conduct of rigid search and rescue operations for the victims of the ill-fated plane. Shunning personal safety, 505th men bravely and untiringly searched the steep and thickly-forested mountain of Mt. Sumagaya in Misamis Oriental with hopes of saving lives or recover anything that would bring consolation to the loved ones of the crash victims. With the continuous onslaught of disasters in the country such as typhoons and lahar encroachment, occasional earthquakes, frequent sea mishaps and other natural calamities and man-made disasters, the Philippine Air Force is eyeing to equip 505th with heavier capacity aircraft which include round-the-clock, all-weather, search and rescue capability, heavy-lift capacity; long range patrol; capability, safe-landing on waters; and deck securing options for handling and storage on ships with foldable blades, ship-adapted systems which will surely enhance the unit’s search and rescue capability. With the present crop of trained personnel from 505th assigned in different parts of the country, the Filipino citizenry can rest assured that a helping hand is always there to help. 505th has also been conducting training on other PAF units and civilian volunteers in the basics of search and rescue and paramedic operations to tap additional men should there be a need to augment its existing manpower. Courtesy of 505th SAR Thanks to Pinoy Aviators (Fb page) for sharing |
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Alfred Alexander L. Marasigan Manila, Philippines getflipzi@yahoo.com http://z6.invisionfree.com/flipzi " Sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them!" " People don't care what we know until they know we care." | |
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