CHILDREN at Coal Point posed for a school photo with a difference on Friday.
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It was a photograph taken from a special drone that hovered overhead on the school sports field.
The drone, known as the Westpac Little Ripper, is a specialised unmanned aerial vehicle used by the NSW Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service in a range of search, rescue and lifesaving operations.
Members of the helicopter service dropped in at Coal Point Public School to give the children a special demonstration of the Westpac Little Ripper.
Business development manager for The Ripper Group, Jason Young, said the drone attracted international interest earlier this year when it was responsible for the dramatic rescue of two swimmers stranded in a rip off the beach at Lennox Head.
The Little Ripper has a range of about 5km, Mr Young told the children.
“But in Australia, we have to have visual line of sight of the drone, so we need to be able to see the drone at all times.”
Mr Young and the Little Ripper pilots demonstrated the drone’s abilities when they performed a mock rescue at the school.
Earlier, Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service air crew member Graham Nickisson, spoke to the children about the rescue helicopter.
He fielded some interesting questions from the floor, including: has the helicopter ever crashed (answer: yes); how much do the air crew’s helmets cost ($5000); and have more than one Westpac Lifesaver Rescue helicopters been called to attend the same emergency (yes).