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Kern County Sheriff’s Office: Back on the Hoist

P1AR Team · October 29, 2026

For National First Responders Day, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office spotlighted the work its Air Support Unit (ASU) put in this year to bring back their hoist rescue capability. We’re proud to have been part of it.

KCSO crews started training in January at our SART/TAC facility in Mesa, Arizona, working through classroom, hoist procedural tower, and simulator training. In August, our instructors traveled to the KCSO area of operations for live flight training, refining and verifying those skills in the aircraft.

For anyone new to the space, the article does a great job of explaining why hoist work is so demanding. The pilot has to hold a steady hover through wind, terrain, and obstacles without being able to see what’s happening below, while the hoist operator talks the pilot into position and manages the rescue at the same time. Good operators make it look easy, but it the process requires a high level of skill. P1AR’s synthetic training allows crews to grind through the rough early reps on the ground first, to maximize the value of training in live flight.

With its new Airbus helicopters in service, KCSO describes adding hoist rescue back as the logical next step. Hoist missions mean shorter ground operations, less risk for SAR personnel working hazardous terrain, and faster transport for patients.

Congratulations to KCSO’s ASU and SAR teams. Read the full story, and see the crews in action with their first hoist mission just weeks after finishing training.

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