Channel Islands Air Search

CIAS is a voluntary organisation formed in 1980 for the primary purpose of assisting in the saving of lives at sea. It is a rapid response service, with comprehensive Search and limited Rescue capability. The Service's aircraft will operate under the direction of any of the recognised SAR authorities, and will work in close conjunction with lifeboats, helicopters or other vessels or aircraft. It provides a rapid response search capability in the 4,000 square miles of water surrounding the British Channel Islands and the adjacent French coast and is involved in 30 to 40 call outs each year. The aircraft has the capability to act as on-scene commander, if so tasked, communicating as required by aeronautical and marine VHF radio. Many of the crew are commercial pilots. When the service celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2005 it was honoured to receive the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service. Within this site you will find not only several Photographs but a large amount of detail on how the Organisation is structured. Find out more About Us and also details from the Operations page on how search operations are carried out and summaries of searches carried out in the period 1999 to 2013. In the Aircraft Data page you will find full specifications and photographs of the Service's aircraft and the sophisticated equipment on board. The News Room contains press reviews of rescues and other CIAS related news items. The Service costs £90,000 per annum to run and is solely dependent upon public subscription. The Friends of Air Search in the four main Channel Islands are responsible for much of the fund raising and do a magnificent job each year raising money for new equipment and running costs. However we would also welcome corporate sponsorship.