“Just before Christmas in 2022, we conducted an ice rescue in the worst possible blizzard conditions during evening hours. A snowmobiler fell through the ice on a local lake and had been in the water, holding onto the edge of the ice for almost an hour. Wind gusts were near 50 mph and visibility was near zero. Wind chill was around -2F. Ice rescuers from a local fire department crawled out nearly 150 yards to the victim, who was still alive but unresponsive. However, they could not get the victim or themselves back to shore due to their lines breaking through the ice. The county to the North of us arrived shortly after with a 20+ year old AirRanger that they’ve been operating since new. Another Deputy and I boarded the vessel on land and were driven out on the ice to the victim. The victim and ice rescuers were pulled from the water and were brought back to shore safely. The victim was quickly transported to the hospital where he walked out of the next morning. If it wasn’t for that AirRanger, we may have lost 3 lives that day. Thoroughly impressed with the performance and agility of the AirRanger, matched with the clear necessity for one in our own County, a decision was made to make the purchase. We’ve now had our Air Ranger for two months and it has exceeded our expectations in its capabilities. This will be a crucial tool for us year-round and I’m certain will be a life-saving factor in future incidents. Thank you for making a quality airboat!”
Deputy Aaron Rybicki
Manistee County Sheriff’s Office
Michigan