Helicopter Heroism Award Goes to Maryland State Trooper Crew

A pair of Maryland State Police troopers have received Rotor & Wing magazine's 2009 Helicopter Heroism Award. The crew of the AS365 Dauphin responded to a December 2008 emergency involving a broken water main in Bethesda. At least seven cars were stranded by the fast moving water, with frigid temperatures and depths of up to four feet. Pilot Jim MacKay and flight paramedic Nate Wheelock maneuvered to within feet of trees and power lines to hoist the occupants of two of the cars to safety. They included a woman alone in her car, and a mother with her 9-year-old son. The victims were then transported to area hospitals for treatment for hypothermia.