SKY WATCH

Membership

There are two form of membership, those members who belong to operational units, generally very experienced pilots, and those who support the charity by making an annual donation. Supporters can also help the charity by 'flying the flag' in the form of clothing carrying the Sky Watch logo, badges for flying suits and badges for aircraft and motor vehicles. Local fund raising events are another form of valuable support.

To join the Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol contact the Membership Secretary by completing the APPLICATION FORM

Contact in an emergency

In the United Kingdom emergencies over land, including search and rescue are the responsibility of the civil police. In coastal and offshore waters emergencies are handled by Her Majesty's Coastguard.

Depending on the nature of the emergency you should immediately dial 999 and ask for the police, the fire service, the ambulance service or HM Coastguard.

If air support is required to respond to an emergency the emergency service, usually the police or HM Coastguard will contact the Royal Air Force Aeronautical Rescue Co-ordination Centre (ARCC) and request an aircraft to attend the incident. The ARCC will evaluate the request and send a rescue helicopter, or forward the request to the Sky Watch Civil Air Patrol.

Other agencies, such as the Environment Agency, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the British Red Cross, and the civilian mountain and lowland rescue teams should also forward any request for air support to the RAF ARCC.