“There's no point in hovering over memories and emotions. You have to move on,” says Squadron Leader Ron Robert, who is back in Coimbatore after the hectic rescue operations in flood-ravaged Kerala. Ron is part of The Knights, a 109 helicopter unit based in Sulur. The unit, which has a rich legacy of taking part in the Indian Peace Keeping Operations in Sri Lanka, had a full-fledged mission across Kerala as heavy downpour, floods and landslides ravaged the state in mid-August. The unit winched 300 people from the flood-front as well as carried 70 tonnes of food to the hungry and tired. Winching is the act of hoisting people into a chopper.
The full unit, comprising air and ground crew, was in Kerala and some of their helicopters are still in the state offering help in case of an emergency, said Ron, who hails from Kalavoor in Alappuzha. A portion of the unit started its mission on August 9 as the nature began showing its fury in the northern district of Wayanad. Later, as the remaining crew joined the mission, the unit was deployed in Thiruvananthapuam and Kochi.
Mission
Wing Commander Shivang Kumar was the task force commander in Thiruvananthapuam. The entire operations in Kerala were headed by Air Officer Commanding in Chief Air Marshal B Suresh. “The unit receives GPS coordinates from the needy every morning. It is prioritised by local administrators, often headed by the respective district collectors, and we act accordingly,” said Ron.
The Kerala rescue operation was the third major mission in which Ron took part, after the Chennai floods of 2016 and the Ockhi cyclone in Kerala last year. Ron said the topography and high population density in Kerala made it a tough task for them.
“Every house is surrounded by a lot of tall trees, so we had to hover high,” he said. “We could not even think of landing the 13-tonne chopper on the roof of the houses as it would crush the entire building,” he recollected. However, the size of the chopper helped them saving more people. “At one go, we could even save 33 people from Chalakudy,” said Ron.
A flight engineer, Ron was deployed in the cockpit along with a pilot and a co-pilot during the operations. Ron said the efforts of Garud commandos on board and his unit's ground staff were commendable as they made the operations a grand success.
“Our ground crew used to go to bed at midnight and again start their work at 3.30 in the morning to make things ready for us to fly. The ground crew was headed by Squadron Leader Imtiaz Ahmed from Coimbatore.”
He mentioned the efforts of Wing Commander Prasanth Nair, a native of Kuttichal in Thiruvananthapuram, who winched four kids and an elderly woman to safety among others.
Daring operation
Of all the acts of saving the fliers did in Kerala, Ron remembers the winching of 13 girl students of Ayyappa College in Chengannur as the most risky operation. “The weather was very unfavourable and there was nearly zero visibility. The place was also surrounded by tall tress,” Ron listed out the impediments they faced. However, the team could save 13 students before they ran out of fuel. The rest of the girls were rescued by a Navy team.
Good and the bad
Ron said they have been taught that there's no room for emotions in the cockpit. However, there are sights which still stay clear in his mind. “The sight of a 'THANKS' written on the roof of a house from where we winched a pregnant woman was of course one of the best things during these operations. The kind of reunion of a pregnant woman and her husband who were saved by two different flights was another one,” he said.
Ron and his team also had to encounter some bitter experiences like a boy calling them out for help and then asking them to leave after clicking a selfie with them. The excitement of the people to watch a copter close made things difficult at times. However, he also hailed the people for their presence of mind and using common sense. There were people who used their towels to write 'Help' on terraces.
Ron said he felt bad seeing the famed St George's Church of Edathua surrounded by water as a year ago, he had gone there to attend the holy feast.
Government help
Ron had only good words about the Kerala government which he said did everything possible for the force. We had everything ready in time, said Ron, making it clear that he was not being partial since it's his homeland.
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