Aircraft for sea rescue

This is what it's all about.

The migratory route across the Atlantic Ocean from West Africa to the Canary Islands is one of the deadliest in the world. Every year, thousands of people attempt the dangerous crossing in search of safety and a better life. Last year alone, more than 6,000 people lost their lives, but the number of unreported cases is much higher. Currently, an average of 33 people are reported missing every day.

While the northernmost part of this route is covered by the Spanish rescue services, there is no organised rescue at sea in the central and southern parts. Boats that break down, get lost or stray off course drift out to sea and go undetected. Some of these boats are only spotted in Latin America, with no survivors.

At HPI, we plan to close the fatal gap on this route. Using our proven aerial reconnaissance method, which we have already used for almost 10 years over the central Mediterranean and which has helped more than 54,000 people in mortal danger, we now want to detect people in distress in the Atlantic too. The aim is then to alert the relevant authorities and nearby ships so that they can bring these people to safety.

Our aim is to begin an initial mission at the beginning of next year to gain a better understanding of the situation on the ground and lay the long-term foundations for effective rescue at sea on this route.

In collaboration with Sea-Watch, we have two aircraft, Seabird 1 and Seabird 2, which operate almost daily over the central Mediterranean. To launch a new project over the Atlantic, we need to expand our fleet. And to do that, we need your support. Help us secure another aircraft for our aerial reconnaissance and save lives in the Atlantic!

Our plan

• Purchase of a twin-engine Diamond D42 for the longest and most economical missions possible off West Africa.

• Launch of an aerial reconnaissance mission lasting several weeks to collect important data for the launch of a sea rescue project on the dangerous Atlantic route. The aim is to gain a better understanding of local conditions and migration patterns in order to save as many lives as possible in the future through an effective rescue chain.

• Experienced volunteer crew members in the air and on the ground are investing their training, experience and time to ensure the project runs smoothly.

For this we need your help.

We have the committed volunteers, we have the know-how and we have the time to launch such a mission successfully. But what we don’t have is an aircraft to carry out these reconnaissance flights. That’s why we need your support to expand our fleet of aircraft.

The total cost of acquiring a suitable used DA42 is around CHF 500.000. Thanks to the funds already allocated and our own reserves, we have raised a large part of this amount. But for the remaining CHF 50,000, we need your help. Help us finance the plane so that we can take off very soon!

Additional donation target: We need the minimum donation target to acquire a DA42 with minimal equipment. If we reach the additional donation target of 65,000, we will be able to equip the aircraft with a marine radio unit. This will allow us to contact surrounding ships form a greater range, improving the chance to rescue any boat in distress.

Who are we ?

Since 2016, the Humanitarian Pilots Initiative (HPI) has carried out aerial reconnaissance flights in the Central Mediterranean, where, in cooperation with Sea-Watch, we have been able to locate more than 54.000 people in distress. Without our work, many of these people would not have drowned.

HPI was founded in 2015 by a group of friends who wanted to use aviation to help people in distress. Today, HPI is a professional humanitarian organisation for which more than 45 volunteers are committed, both in the air and at their desks. They guarantee the success of our projects.

Today, we need your help to carry out our first mission on the Atlantic Route and save lives.

Together we can make a difference - join us and save lives!