From 15 to 19 October 2007, 40 Squadron at Koksijde Air Base, Belgium, organized a SAR Meet after a long hiatus. The previous Seach and Rescue Meet had taken place from 4 to 6 October 1994. On that occasion, no fewer than seven other countries attended the meet in addition to the Belgian delegation.

The 2007 SAR meet
The 2007 edition had fewer participants. Only Belgium, Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands sent a helicopter to this event. On Wednesday morning a precision winching exercise was held on the beach of Oostduinkerke and a spottersday was organized, so that photographers could take some pictures at the beach and later that day at Koksijde Air Base.

The purpose of the SAR meet
The primary purpose of the meet was to foster international cooperation and improve the efficiency of lifesaving operations. The meet focuses on three main objectives:
– Interoperability & Skills Exchange; to learn from one another’s experiences.
– Operational Training; which included a series of “friendly competitions” and exercises designed to test the precision, speed, and agility of the crews. These included navigation tasks, winching (hoisting) exercises, and survival training.
– Team Building: beyond the flying, the meet included sports events and social gatherings.

The participants
The Belgian Air Force participated with a Seaking, Alouette II and Alouette III. The Royal Netherlands Air Force was present with an AB.412SP from the Leeuwarden based 303 squadron. Italy came with a HH-3F of 15° Stormo based at Cervia. The German Air Force participated with a UH-1D from LTG-63 based at Hohn. The French navy came from the nearby Le Touquet with their Dauphin helicopter. Dutch 303 Sqn took the winner’s trophy with them back home.