Key milestones in Rega's history
Click through the most important milestones in Rega’s 70-year-old history.
1952 – The foundation:
Swiss Air-Rescue is founded as a sub-section of the Schweizerische Lebensrettungs-Gesellschaft (SLRG).
1957 – The first helicopter of its own:
A countrywide collection by the Association of Swiss Consumers’ Cooperative Societies produces sufficient funds to purchase a Bell 47J.
1960 – The first repatriation:
A patient is repatriated from France back home to Switzerland in the private Piaggio 166 aircraft owned by Dr Armin Meyer.
1966 – Self-help by means of patronage:
No funds from the Swiss government. After a nationwide appeal for help, 25,000 patrons save Swiss Air-Rescue from financial ruin.
1979 – A non-profit foundation:
The Association sets up a Foundation. Fritz Bühler is appointed the first Chairman of the Foundation Board.
1987 – Helicopters with night vision goggles:
Rega is the first non-military organisation in the world to equip all of its helicopters with night vision goggles.
1996 – The first round the world flight:
In a 43-hour mission, the Challenger CL-600 transports three patients, a journey that takes it all the way round the world for the first time.
2009 – Mobile heart-lung machine:
For the first time, critically-ill patients can be hooked up to a heart-lung machine in the Rega helicopters and jets.
2011 – Flying blind to the Inselspital:
Thanks to satellite-based navigation, Rega flies to the Inselspital in Berne despite poor visibility, using the GPS-assisted approach procedure.
2019 – The Rega drone:
The newly developed drone system, which is to be used to search for missing or injured persons, is presented for the first time.
2021 – Support for Switzerland:
Rega supports the Confederation and the cantons in their efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic with its expertise and infrastructure.
You can read more about the highlights in Rega’s history under the following link:
A brief history of Rega