The mission of 202 Sqn SAR is to strive for excellence in all aspects of Search And Rescue operations

'A' Flight of No 202 Squadron is located on the Main Site at RAF Boulmer, The Flight utilises the ageing - but highly capable - yellow Sea King Mark 3 helicopters, equipped with new Infra-red and digital TV search cameras. 'A' Flight, with 2 helicopters is a busy flight providing round-the-clock search and rescue cover for a large part of the North-East, stretching from Fife in the north to Hartlepool in the south and encompassing the Lake District in the west. The eastern boundary is very fluid; the aircraft has been known to end up in Norway following a rescue.

During the day an aircraft and crew are at 15 minutes readiness to scramble; this is reduced to 45 minutes at night, although the crew and engineers remain on the flight throughout the 24 hour period. The winchman on the helicopter is usually a fully qualified NHS registered paramedic. The Flight is home to 20 aircrew, 3 Ops assistants, a Civilian Admin Assistant and 32 contracted engineers.