Plane crazy! Model aircraft pilot gets his pride-and-joy stuck in a giant chimney… before Royal Navy uses a HELICOPTER to retrieve it
- Roger Bath’s plane got stuck in Nancegollan, Cornwall, at abandoned mine
- Navy helicopter crew on a training flight responded to his plea for assistance
- Lt Donell Fairweather was lowered on a winch to rescue model from chimney
A crack navy helicopter rescue crew had a bizarre call out to the top of an abandoned Cornish mine chimney after a pilot’s model plane become lodged there.
Roger Bath was dumbfounded when his plane got stuck on the tall engine house chimney near Nancegollan, Cornwall.
Luckily for him a naval helicopter crew from RNAS Culdrose had a training flight planned and responded to his plea for help.
Pictured: The Navy helicopter approaches the chimney in Cornwall where the model airplane got stuck as Roger Bath practised his spot landing
Pictured: The model plane lodged in the chimney at an abandoned mine as the Navy helicopter scrambled to save it
Observer Lieutenant Donell Fairweather was lowered on a winch from the helicopter to rescue to model plane and then hoisted to safety
Mr Bath, from Camborne, a member of the model aeroplane club RC Cornwall Flyers said he could not believe it when his plane landed in the chimney – the only tall building nearby.
‘We were having a competition of spot-landing,’ he said. ‘I had the perfect spot-landing alright, you could say. I am a novice pilot anyway and last Sunday was windy.
‘How the heck it got in the top of the chimney I don’t know. Even if you tried to get it in there you’d be banging into the sides. It was unbelievable.’
In desperation club members got in touch with Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose at Helston on the off chance the navy could help.
A relieved Roger Bath is pictured taking back his model airplane after the Navy helicopter rescued it
The Navy squadron lowers one of its team onto the chimney to rescue Roger Bath’s model plane in Cornwall
Luckily on Wednesday members of 824 Naval Air Squadron which trains Merlin helicopter crews already had a training exercise planned.
Lt Donell Fairweather was lowered on a winch line to the top of the chimney where he grabbed the aircraft and was then lowered to the ground nearby while the helicopter landed in a field next to the chimney.
Lt Cdr Steve Thomas said the task was ‘far from simple’. He said: ‘We had a three and half hour training sortie booked for the afternoon and this was a genuinely valuable training opportunity for a student pilot who had been given an usual search and rescue scenario and staff rear crew who had the task of conducting the rescue.
‘We spent a great deal of time and effort planning and considering all possible options, plans and dangers.
‘Everyone gets more out of doing something like this than they do just training at the airfield.’
Mr Bath and his fellow club members were delighted with the recovery and thanked the crew for their help.