Prince arrives on official visit today

PRINCE Felipe will pay an official visit to the Son Sant Joan airbase today, where he will unveil a monument marking the 50th anniversary of the Search and Rescue Service (SAR). He will also attend a lecture on the missions and the base, and the activities of the 801 Air Force Squadren.
According to a defence ministry spokesman, the Prince will visit an exhibition of planes, watch a helicopter display and visit the workshops of the SAR before unveiling the monument. Since the SAR was founded its planes and helicopters have flown more than 83'000 hours in 950 missions; it has evacuated 821 sick or injured people, peformed 289 rescues at sea and in the mountains and carried out 1'120 missions of maritime vigilance. The 801 Squadron was founded on August 3, 1954, and was based at Pollensa, while the SAR was founded on June 17, 1955, moving to the Son Sant Joan base in 1959. Its first plane was the amphibious Gruman Albatros.
It has had only one serious accident, in September 1985, when a Lieutenant Colonel died in a crash.