NCHILERT is a  non-profit, certified Special Rescue Resource Provider in western NC, dedicated to providing you with helicopter search and rescue support services.  We can fly land and water searches, transport rescue & medical gear to/from remote locations, supply food, water & medicines to victims isolated by disasters, provide aerial reconnaissance & command, and provide detailed helicopter implementation training to departments through our exclusive “Helicopter Use in Search & Rescue” course. We fly VFR in daylight hours, weather permitting.

Expected response time is 1 hour plus flight time from the Asheville Airport, depending upon aircraft availability. NCHILERT is not a medical helicopter transport service, and the helicopter is not licensed, certified, nor configured as a medical transport aircraft. 

NCHILERT Search & Rescue Technicians (SARTECHS) are members of fire and rescue departments in Henderson, Buncombe, & Transylvania Counties, and each SARTECH has various backgrounds in helicopter experience, advanced rescue, and medical certifications. Some are Rescue Instructors certified by NC Dept. of Insurance and the NC Fire & Rescue Commission, and all SARTECHS are ERT and/or RT certified. We utilize a Bell JetRanger 206 BII turbine helicopter owned and operated by Falcon AirLink, Inc., whose Chief pilot has logged over 6500 hours of flight experience.