New CIAS plane welcomed to Guernsey

Tuesday 21 May 2019

A water salute welcomed the new Channel Islands Air Search plane as it touched down in Guernsey for the first time.

It arrived yesterday afternoon, doing a flypast over the Bailiwick before descending onto the runway at Guernsey Airport.

The aircraft was met with "a celebratory water arch from the Airport Fire Service". The plane then took off again to return to the UK before entering service in "the very near future".

Roger Dadd was flying the aircraft for its brief visit with Chair of CIAS John Fitzgerald on board along with a Britten Norman pilot.

The new aircraft had to be bought after the previous Lions Pride was damaged in an accident in Jersey while on a call in 2013. The replacement plane was due to come into service in 2016 but has been delayed due to the longer than expected building time. 

The Channel Islands Air Search is entirely funded by charitable donations with the Friends of CIAS continually fundraising to keep the eyes in the sky.

Pictured top: The new Channel Islands Air Search plane at Guernsey Airport. Picture and social media content from the CIAS Facebook page.