Tuesday, 25 May 2010

Calling International Rescue

EMERCOM - the Russian Emergency Control Ministry - has sent over a plane load of supplies to help with the Polish flood crisis. Below: An Ilyushin Il-76TD Candid of the MChS, RA-76363, over our house. (See also this Il-76 and this EMERCOM Mil Mi-26 - world's largest helicopter)

If you are Polish and have never heard of International Rescue or Thunderbirds - well guys, you are in for a treat! I grew up on this TV series. As a child in the mid-1960s, this was the programme to watch. Not just the gripping race-against-time plots, but the 21st Century technology - in particular the aircraft, rockets, ships, submarines - and the rescue equipment with which International Rescue always managed to save the day.

Above: What will come out of this huge aircraft's cargo hold? Sandbags? Clothing? Bulldozers? Thunderbird 4? The Mole? There is something about the look of the Il-76 that would make it fit in well with Gerry Anderson's vision of the mid-21st century.

(According to Gazeta Wyborcza, it's pumps, boats, and generators. 15 tonnes-worth.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

According to EMERCOM website www.mchs.gov.ru: "18 powerful pumps to pump water, 34 rubber boats and 5 mobile electric power stations".

Michael Dembinski said...

Thank you, Russia!

Ewa said...

Ah yes - Thunderbirds! Always seemed to clash with kościół on Sunday mornings and the grownups never seemed to be as keen to get back home and watch it as I was.

grankspoine said...

Firefly!

Anonymous said...

Surely it's time we all got suspicious of Russia's motives in being so damned nice to Poland in recent months? There's going to be a payback. Be interesting to see what it is.

I always thought Thunderbird 4 was pretty lame compared to the rest.