SkyRelief UK

SkyRelief UK is a new concept which aims to use Paramotors for Aid Relief in times of humanitarian disasters. The concept has been developed by SkySchool MD Alex Ledger and the Disaster Relief organisation Shelter Box. In February 2010 Alex approached Shelter Box after the Haiti Earthquake and discovered there was a serious demand for, yet a profound shortage of, organisations which provide aerial reconnaissance, aerial footage and aerial photography in the initial stages of a disaster.

Shelter Box

Since it's inception in 2000 Shelter Box has firmly established itself at the forefront of international disaster relief, providing emergency shelter for the people who need it most on every continent. When a disaster occurs Shelter Box usually deploy a four man response team (SRT) within 24 hours. The team, which is led by an experienced SRT member and made up of fully trained volunteers, is briefed in the UK before flying to the disaster zone along with their equipment. On site their primary role is to survey the disaster zone and assess how best to distribute the 50kg boxes, which are made up of a ten man tent, a cooker, blankets, tools, water purification tablets and more. In the case of Haiti SRT’s distributed over 30,000 boxes over a 3 month period, providing shelter to over 350,000 displaced people in large, temporary camp sites.

SkySchool's Disaster Relief Course

In July 2010 Shelter Box invited Alex Ledger and seven members of the SkySchool Team to sit a two day Associate course at their training site at Predannack Airfield in Cornwall. During the course the SkySchool Team were put through various scenarios in which they had to navigate to and survey potential camp sites on foot, which took several hours to complete. The SkySchool Team then carried out an aerial survey of the exact same locations using the Paramotors to capture footage of the potential camp sites. This took a fraction of the time compared to the survey on foot and convinced the Shelter Box representatives that a Paramotor Response Team, working in unison with SRT’s, could be a vital asset in the initial stages of a disaster.

The Next Step...

SkySchool MD Alex Ledger is planning to go on a deployment with Shelter Box in either November or December 2010 with fellow instructor Kester Haynes. They will film the entire deployment in order to produce a short film and thus demonstrate the effectiveness of a Paramotor Response team when used for the practical purposes of aerial reconnaissance, filming and photography in a disaster zone. So, watch this space for further information or contact us.