New rescue helicopter arrives in the Flathead

The Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and Two Bear Air announced Nov. 7 the arrival of the much-anticipated Bell 429 rescue helicopter.

The twin-engine Bell 429 is the most technically advanced rescue aircraft the Flathead Valley has seen and will be used as a search and rescue helicopter.

The aircraft will be on display in the parking lot of the new Cabela’s store in Kalispell on Nov. 9-10 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Crew members will be available to answer questions about the aircraft, the program and provide tips for staying safe in the outdoors.

“Residents and visitors are drawn to enjoy the natural resources and rugged atmosphere of our area, but this influx of growth has also brought more people into secluded areas requiring additional resources,” said Jordan White, executive director of Two Bear Air. “Two years ago when we began raising money for public safety aviation, I never dreamed that we would have such an amazing gift of a world-class helicopter.”

The Bell 429 will replace Two Bear Air’s Bell 407 which crashed on the slopes of Mount Aeneas, high on the Swan Range in the Jewel Basin area, on April 25. No one was injured when it landed on a snowfield and rolled over on its side. It was piloted by Two Bear Air chief pilot Jason Johnson and carrying two Flathead County employees who were heading up to work on emergency communications equipment near Mount Aeneas’ 7,530-foot summit.

The new helicopter is described as the flagship of a unique public/private philanthropic partnership between Flathead County and Whitefish philanthropist Michael Goguen.

“You can’t put a value on saving even one life,” Goguen said in a press release. “Montana is a place where we help our neighbors, and I feel privileged to be able to give this gift to the Flathead Valley community.”

The Bell 429 is equipped with advanced technology specifically selected to aid in the search for missing persons and to facilitate complex rescues in mountainous terrain. Pilots from Two Bear Air and a flight crew of sheriff’s office personnel will staff the helicopter on missions.

The new helicopter has capabilities beyond what was offered by Two Bear Air’s smaller MD 500 E single-engine helicopter, including night vision, specialized cameras, 3-D mapping systems and a rescue hoist.

The flight crew has spent the past month training on the helicopter’s technical equipment and have already flown several public safety missions. Additional training will be ongoing as the team works with search and rescue teams and other agencies across the region.