A ROYAL Navy pilot has received the Air Force Cross for "grit, determination and courage" shown in rescuing a lone walker in Argyll.
Lieutenant Commander Craig Sweeney led his duty search and rescue crew of three others in what he would later describe as one of the most challenging rescues he had undertaken in an audacious rescue near the summit of Beinn Sgulaird in December 2011.
In blizzard conditions, plummeting temperatures and pitch darkness he and the team from HMS Gannet in Prestwick, South Ayrshire, flew their Sea King Mark 5 helicopter to the aid of climber Dr Gareth Bradley, who was said to have had a broken ankle.
The Royal Navy says Lt Cmdr Sweeney "brought years of Commando Helicopter Force experience in similar conditions in the Arctic and Afghanistan to bear, allowing him not only to reassure his crew, but to successfully command this difficult mission".
Dr Bradley, who works at the University of the Highlands and Islands in Perth, said: "I am very grateful to all those involved who risked their safety to assist me. The fact that my rescue was successful was a credit to all involved."
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