The disclosure relates to a helicopter (5) having a flight path computer to provide signals for pilot or automatic flying in accordance with a predetermined flight path, a forward looking infra-red camera (6) for scanning ahead and to either side of the flight for an object such as a person in the sea, a screen display for the camera and a control to be operated when the helicopter over-flies the person to cause the flight path computer to provide control signals to take the helicopter through a circuit down-wind of the person and then back into-wind at pre-selected heights and speed towards the location of the person and then to hover over the person.