Back in 2007 after Microsoft release Bird’s Eye View imagery of areas in northern Italy member Effi posted a shot of a helicopter in flight which was followed shortly with a second view by moderator TexasAndroid. The two posts sparked an interesting bit of sleuthing.
What evolved was a dramatic rescue by the Italian Coast Guard of a diver involving multiple boats and a helicopter extraction. Follow along…
On the first pass by the BEV airplane the Italian Coast Guard has already arrived and two people in a skiff can be seen nearby (the rescue). The skiff then races to shore with the men. Once ashore a helicopter arrives and hovers over the shore. Meanwhile only a few hundred meters away (and in the same image) two speedboats also rush to the scene. Finally the helicopter flies off towards safety just as the speedboats arrive.
A great collaborative effort!
(Special thanks to Pdunn for assembling the time-line.)