RCAF ​Tiger 432 helicopter makes stop at Kincardine Airport

The CH-146 Griffon helicopter, call-sign Tiger 432, made a stop at the Kincardine Airport, Thursday, en route from Sault Ste. Marie to its base in Trenton.

The search-and-rescue helicopter and its crew of six were in Sault Ste. Marie on training exercises for a few days. Those training exercises encompass all aspects of a search-and-rescue mission and put each crew member to the test.

Kincardine made for an excellent location to stop, take on fuel, and get some food for the crew. It was also an opportunity for one of the crew members, Robert Wood, to catch up with his hometown. He grew up here in the 1970s and ‘80s before joining the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF).



The CH-146 Griffon helicopter, call-sign Tiger 432, makes a stop at the Kincardine Airport, Thursday; photos by Stan Pickles

The helicopter and crew are part of 424 (Tiger) Squadron which is a transport-and-rescue squadron based at 8 Wing Trenton. They provide primary search-and-rescue response for the Trenton Region which extends from Quebec to the British Columbia/Alberta border.

Since the RCAF celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, it is worth a tribute to Canadian "Wop" May who is considered the father of para-rescue. In January of 1929, he and Vic Horner climbed into the open cockpit of an Avro Avian biplane to fly anti-toxin 600 miles north of Edmonton to Fort Vermillion. Word had reached the south of a diphtheria outbreak and they stepped up for what was the beginning of the mercy missions and rescue efforts we see today.