I am with you on this one. It seems to me that choppers are used more and more frequently these days, which is often a good thing when appropriate, but often a ground team is just as appropriate and a lot cheaper and generally less risky.

The only SAR related funerals I attended were for two helicopter pilots whose bird crashed as they were returning from their final mission of the day, jsut after dropping off some of our volunteers.

On one occasion, we were working on the ground as a helicopter came into position above us to hoist a litter with an injured victim. One of my companions required, "Are those blades set on puree or blend?" - gallows humor