SARAA - Search and Rescue Aerial Association

20/10/2026

We are delighted to announce that Blue Skies Drone Training Ltd has become the official drone certification training provider for the Search and Rescue Aerial Association - Scotland.

As our sole training partner, Blue Skies Drone Training will support the training and certification of new drone pilots, as well as the recertification of existing pilots, in both the A2 Certificate of Competency (A2 CofC) and the General Visual Line of Sight Certificate (GVC).

This partnership will help ensure our pilots continue to receive high-quality, professional training and maintain the standards required to support our operational capabilities.

Blue Skies Drone Training Ltd, Built by one of the world's most experienced drone training instructors CEO, Matthew Williams, has trained more than 66,500 drone pilots worldwide.

Blue Skies Drone Training are built to provide clear guidance from people who help set the standards and have been professional pilots aiming to provide comprehensive training that develops genuine competence with ongoing support that grows with operations or business. https://blueskiesdronetraining.com/pages/about Scottish Mountain Rescue

01/10/2026

Two SARAA-Scotland pilots from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team recently joined a multi-team training exercise hosted by Moffat Mountain Rescue Team.

During the exercise, the pilots were deployed as a drone team to help search for eight separated and "missing" walkers. One group was located from around 1.5km away using the drone's zoom camera, while other ground teams were committed elsewhere.

A second drone was then used to guide team members to the walkers, who were checked over and assisted safely off the hill.

The exercise was a great opportunity to test our pilots and demonstrate how drones can support Mountain Rescue by searching large areas, locating missing people and helping guide teams on the ground.

Thanks to Moffat MRT for having us.

🎥 The video shows the search, the walkers being located, the ground team being guided in, and the drone then switching to monitor another casualty evacuation.

Scottish Mountain Rescue

28/09/2026

One of our pilots out training to detect casualties in water today. Can you see the swimmer? Our pilots use a combination of the visual and thermal cameras to aid in detecting casualties on land and in water, in daytime as well as at night. SARAA - Scotland is a volunteer-led charity that relies entirely on public support to keep our teams trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you'd like to support our work, please consider making a donation. Scottish Mountain Rescue

26/09/2026

One of our pilots from Killin Mountain Rescue Team out training recently. All of our pilots are Scottish Mountain Rescue Team members and dedicate a considerable amount of time flying and search training. SARAA - Scotland is a volunteer-led charity that relies entirely on public support to keep our teams trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you'd like to support our work, please consider making a donation.

20/09/2026

20/09/2026

We are extremely grateful to Lucy and Blue for donating a portion of the proceeds to our team from her latest childrens book 'Hiking, Harnesses and Horrible Weather'. Senior Fire Officer Lucy Macleod and her wellbeing dog Blue, were the inspiration for the children's book series which highlights the real people who keep our communities safe while offering valuable children's safety lessons. Hiking, Harnesses and Horrible Weather follows Lucy and Blue working with Mountain Rescue Drone Pilots to locate and rescue a lost hiker. https://lucyandblue.com/

17/09/2026

Callout: On Tuesday, two SARAA-Scotland pilots were tasked to assist the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service with drone support in the Scottish Borders.

SARAA Pilots from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team and Border Search and Rescue Unit attended, providing aerial support using both thermal camera-equipped and FPV drones.

The pilots worked alongside SFRS personnel, using the different capabilities of both drone types to support the incident.

Scottish Mountain Rescue

02/09/2026

We have always had the belief that drones would play their part in saving lives. This search and rescue operation proved that; the find with the thermal sensor, the location immediately gained using the laser range finder and passed to Control, on-board AI helping confirm the heat source, the rescue team guided in to the casualty and the overwatch of the rescue and evacuation enhancing overall situational awareness amongst the rescuers. Teamwork and multi-discipline search and rescue at its very best.



Killin Mountain Rescue Team Ochils Mountain Rescue Team Scottish Mountain Rescue
STV News
BBC Scotland News

26/08/2026

Another busy day for one of our pilots coaching a new team member from Killin Mountain Rescue Team Scottish Mountain Rescue

25/08/2026

A brief callout for the team this evening to search some steep ground for a missing person. Using a 'First Person View' Drone to search complex or dangerous ground can minimise or negate the risk to on-foot search teams. Kev Mitchell, Incident Manager Ochils Mountain Rescue Team, stated; ‘I was aware this was a high risk search area for a drone, and notwithstanding some collision potential, the level of flying skill demonstrated was tremendous’. Thankfully the missing person has been located. Scottish Mountain Rescue