For the sixth time in July 2008, after 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003 and 2005 the German Naval Aviation Wing 5, Marinefliegergeschwader 5 was the host for the SAR Meet. Traditionally the date for this event was put into the second half of the famous Kiel-Week, the biggest sailing event worldwide.

The SAR meet started on 26.06.2008 with the fly-in of the guests’ helicopters. Some of the invited nations had to send a short term cancellation of their participation, some maybe caused by the bad weather situation during that period and some because of their international obligations or simply the lack of funds.

The exchange of experiences between the SAR crews was limited also this year on the theoretical exchange of ideas because a flying part as an exercise was not intended. The support of the guest crews by the Holtenau squadron members was taken traditionally very seriously, a visit at the Kiel Week and the organising of the Open Door on Saturday 27.06.2008 were again on the schedule.

The central topic of this years’ open door was the 50th anniversary of SAR. For this event the host unit presented a special painted Sea King Mk. 41, which was again fantastically painted by the northern German Airbrush artist Peer Elshoff. Despite the typically northern German rainy weather the guest helicopters, the rescue demonstrations with the Sea King and DLRG rescue cruiser, as well as the exhibition of considerable companies around the Sea King attracted approximately 20,000 visitors.

by Jens Schymura and Marcus Fülber