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msar-riders - Re: [MSAR] Rescuing on horseback

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Subject: Mounted search and rescue

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Chronological Thread  
  • From: "IRVIN LICHTENSTEIN" <ilichten1@verizon.net>
  • To: "'Mounted search and rescue'" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Rescuing on horseback
  • Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2007 00:31:28 -0500

There were horse drawn ambulances in the Napoleonic armies, the travois was used during that time period and into the late 1800’s. Pack litters have been used as well.

Before there were helicopters there was the Fulton Extrication system, used by both individuals and large gliders.  One version used a rope flown from a balloon. The victim was in an exposure suit and a parachute harness hooked up to the rope. Depending on the era a B-17, a C118-119, or a C130 flies over and snags the balloon as the rope is then winched in to the aircraft.  The victim leaves the ground quite suddenly.  The other version has a large glider, like a WACO, sitting at the end of a runway with its tow rope laid out in front. A C47 flies over trailing a hook. A loop in the end of the tow rope is held up by poles and is hooked by the C47 which then tows the glider out (usually in Burma).  During the cold war Goodyear made a rubber airplane that could be dropped to a downed airman, inflated and flown out of enemy territory. It had a low observable design (no sharp edges, no metal besides the engine) and was fairly resistant to deflation by small arms fire.  

The Sikorsky RS4 was deployed to the CBI starting 1944 or so and made several rescues of downed crews and isolated patrols.  This single main rotor design used a rotor head based on Pitcairn Aircraft autogiro patents and underlying patents Pitcairn had bought from Ciereva (check spelling) before the war. USAF policy is to use helicopters as the primary extraction method. I guess a Pave Low with crew and escort aircraft is more efficient than a balloon and a moderate speed transport.

 

Irv Lichtenstein   


From: msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:msar-riders-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of John Mattson
Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 10:19 PM
To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [MSAR] Rescuing on horseback

 

Hello all, I am trying to do some research on horseback rescue, and was trying to learn possible methods for rescue and transportation of an injured person. All that I have been able to learn is that their is a litter carry method, and a double carry method. Would anyone be able to detail these approaches and how they are used today. Also, I was wondering about the historical methods of rescuing injured persons, prior to airlift. Are there any books or does anyone have any knowledge of this topic? Thanks for a response,

John Mattson



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