Helicopter rescue basket

The smaller, more common type is used by rescuers to lift a person up from ground or water into the helicopter.

An early type that could scoop an unconscious person from the sea was the Sproule Net, invented by Lt Cdr John Sproule, RN, in 1956 which was used by British helicopter rescue units until the late 1970s.

It allows a large group of people to be rescued from a fire or other emergency site, without needing to load them into the helicopter itself.

This type of basket was tested by the Air National Guard in 2006, and were found to be quite functional.

The basket which was tested is known as the Heli-Basket, is 4-and-a-half foot by 8-and-a-half feet, and hangs on a 125-foot cable below an HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter.