‘It runs in my blood’ – three from one family fly with Sumburgh rescue crew

19 August 2025 15:30

Three men wearing headsets and dark uniforms stand on an airport tarmac with helicopters visible in the background under a cloudy sky.

Kieran Murray (junior), Kieran Murray (senior) and Si Murray together previously.

A REMARKABLE Sumburgh legacy added a new chapter last week, after a third member of the Murray family joined the search and rescue helicopter crew from the base.

Stornoway-based Si Murray completed a famous family hat-trick after stepping into the cockpit of the Sumburgh S-92 aircraft, following in the footsteps of his uncle and his cousin to become the third Murray member on a search and rescue operation from Shetland.

The story stretches back more than four decades, with Si’s uncle Kieran Murray (senior) flying for Bristow at Sumburgh in the early 1980s as a winchman and winch operator on the much-loved Oscar Charlie.

A person in an orange rescue suit stands on a helipad, holding a helmet, with a red and white helicopter in the background.

Si Murray completes the family hat-trick.

His son Kieran Murray (junior) – Si’s cousin – then continued the tradition, flying from Sumburgh as a helicopter pilot.

And last week Si, who has more than 20 years of service at Bristow, finally made it a terrific treble for the Murray family when he was asked to step in and fly the S-92 helicopter at Sumburgh.

There was one final link between the three – on the flight Si piloted his winch operator was John Thomson, who has now flown with all three Murray family members.

“Kieran and I were really close as children and he always said he wanted to become a pilot, flying in a search and rescue helicopter like his dad, and that’s exactly what he did,” Si said.

“I didn’t have the same goal as a kid, but after a career in the military I switched and joined Bristow as an oil and gas pilot in Aberdeen.

“It became something of a standing joke in the family, when would I move to flying search and rescue?”

Si said he volunteered in mountain rescue while based in Stornoway, and would even see his cousin Kieran flying the helicopter on occasion.

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Two men stand smiling with arms around each other in front of an open helicopter door, dressed in casual and uniform-style clothing.

John Thomson (left) has flown with all three Murray family members now.

But after switching to flying search and rescue helicopters last year, Si finally had the chance last week to complete the family hat-trick.

“I always knew an opportunity would come for me to complete the picture of all three of us flying at Sumburgh one day, and last week it finally happened,” he said. “It was a great moment. It actually means a lot for our family and we’ve all had a good laugh about it together.

“And, while I’m not continuing to operate from Shetland, I know I’ll continue working in Bristow search and rescue for years to come – it’s a job like no other, and clearly runs in my blood.”