In a red barrack at Mellingeholm Airport in Norrtälje, the two pilots Per Winberg and Rikard Epstein get ready to fly out on a search mission.
Safety is important and nothing must be forgotten on the ground.
Too well up in the air is all the focus on the reconnaissance mission.
- We can quickly exclude areas such as open fields, lakes and clear-cutting, so that Missing People do not have to go bald there, says Per Winberg.
The "James Bond Kit" sends important information
Included in the aircraft is the so-called "James Bond bag".
A silver box with cables and antennas.
- In the bag we have a system to be able to take pictures and send them down to the ground.
That way, the client can get high-resolution images, directly in real time, says Rikard Epstein.
Ready around the clock
The Voluntary Air Force (FFK) is part of the Swedish crisis preparedness and collaborates with both the Armed Forces and several other voluntary organizations such as the Sea Rescue Society and Missing People.
FFK has flight intervention groups ready around the clock, every day of the year.
When the alarm goes off, the crew has two hours to get an aircraft in the air.
- We are always two people in the crew.
One who is mainly a driver and one who is a scout, says Per Winlund.
Can quickly cover large areas
The advantage of scouting from aircraft is that the crew can quickly scout over large areas.
At 200 kilometers per hour, they cover a football field in two seconds, which is very helpful for Missing People, among others, when they are looking for missing persons.
- We can, for example, help find boats in operation or a missing car on a forest road.
Even though it sometimes has a tragic background, it is very stimulating to be able to help, says Per Winlund.