This comes after a pilot was forced to land his glider in thick scrub in the Pilliga during the national gliding championships taking place at Lake Keepit.

A chopper from Newcastle had to be tasked with the rescue of the pilot due to the isolation of the site.

“It’s another incident that will feed into the process,” Mr Anderson said.

He is compiling local research and evidence to give to Health Minister Jillian Skinner to show the need for winching at the Tamworth base.

“I firmly believe something needs to change. It’s a waste of resources and it’s a different environment than what it was three years ago when the operations were ceased,” he said.

He said there were safety concerns that led to the winch services being removed.

“It’s about being able to say ‘yes, safety is covered’ and ‘yes, there is a need for it”.